Utah Mammoth beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round NHL playoff series. The victory marked the first NHL playoff game ever held in Utah, where the Mammoth are playing their second season after relocating from Arizona. Lawson Crouse scored twice in the second period to lead the charge.
Utah got off to a strong start in Salt Lake City. MacKenzie Weegar opened the scoring in the first period, converting a pass from Liam O’Brien from in close. Dylan Guenther soon followed with a power-play goal from the left circle, making it 2-0 before the period ended. Utah needed just 12 shots to beat Vegas goaltender Carter Hart four times, as reported by HockeyNews.se. Clayton Keller recorded two assists in the win. Karel Vejmelka anchored the defense with 29 saves. Lawson Crouse dominated the second period, tipping in the 3-0 goal just over four minutes in, then blasting home the 4-0 tally from distance at 9:48. Vegas mounted a comeback attempt late, with Jack Eichel scoring before the second intermission and Nic Dowd adding another in the third to make it 4-2, but they could not close the gap. The Mammoth now hold home-ice advantage heading into Game 4, scheduled for the night into Tuesday Swedish time, also in Salt Lake City.