Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- The Utah Mammoth lost 5-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
- Mikhail Sergachev tied the game, but Toronto dominated the final period.
- Utah struggles with second-period slumps and empty power play opportunities continue.
TORONTO — If not for a Clayton Keller overtime game-winner on Tuesday, the Utah Mammoth could very well be looking at a four-game losing streak.
The Fighting Tuskys have now lost three of their last four games, most recently on Wednesday in a 5-3 result in favor of the home side Toronto Maple Leafs, where Utah's hot starts and second-period slumps were on full display.
The Mammoth scored first with the only goal in the opening period coming from Ontario native Michael Carcone for his third goal of the year. Fellow Ontarian Lawson Crouse had the assist in his home province for his second helper on the season.
Toronto took over in the second period, however, with top talents William Nylander and Auston Matthews both bagging goals to take a 2-1 lead midway through the period. At the time of Matthews' goal, 18 of Utah's 37 goals conceded so far this season had occurred in the second period.
Mikhail Sergachev got one back for Utah at the end of the second period to tie the game back up at 2-2 heading into yet another decisive final frame for the Mammoth.
Rookie Dmitri Simashev got the assist on Sergachev's goal for his first NHL point, creating a touching moment between the two Russians and former housemates.
Simashev gets his first @NHL point with the assist on Sergys goal!
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) November 6, 2025
Tied up, 2-2. pic.twitter.com/H2J7XIKNtS
"I'm happy for Simashev, he's a great player," Sergachev said. "He's gonna have a lot more points coming in."
Both Sergachev and Simashev shifted the focus back to winning when asked about the moment, though, with Sergachev saying the team "felt a little bit tired" on the second night of a back-to-back and "it cost (them)."
Toronto outscored Utah 3-1 in the final period, including the 501st NHL goal for Leafs legend John Tavares and a revenge goal for former Mammoth player Matias Maccelli, which served as the eventual game-winner after Dylan Guenther pulled one back for Utah in the final two minutes.
Alternate captain Sergachev and head coach Andre Tourigny were at least on the same page after the game, with Sergachev saying, "We didn't do what coach asked us to do." Tourigny confirmed: "That's not the way we want to play."
What exactly went wrong for Utah, though?
The Mammoth led the Maple Leafs in shots and hits, and had just two penalty minutes to six for Toronto. Utah was competitive on face-offs, with a respectable 45%, but also gave away the puck 27 times to just 19 for Toronto, with players and coach citing overcomplications and a failure to simplify in the neutral zone as the cause.
"It's about consistency for the full 60 (minutes)," Sergachev said. You've got to dig deep and simplify the game. We didn't, at times, and it kind of cost us."
POSTGAME
— Utah Mammoth PR (@UtahMammoth_PR) November 6, 2025
"I'm happy for Simmer [Simashev]. He's a great player and going to have a lot more points coming in."@utahmammoth Mikhail Sergachev on Dmitri Simashev recording his first NHL point on his goal pic.twitter.com/6RSRpBRhvG
Besides the aforementioned dip in performance during second periods, the inability to convert consistently on power play opportunities stands out as the other major area for improvement as Utah looks to rebound in another back-to-back series this weekend in Montreal and Ottawa.
Wednesday was the fourth game in a row in which Utah failed to score on the power play, with the last man-advantage goal coming in the second period of the Oct. 26 win in Winnipeg. Since then, the Mammoth have had 10 consecutive power-play opportunities without scoring.
Nick Schmaltz was the magic bullet on the power play early in the season for Utah, but the team's joint-leading goalscorer has gone cold in recent outings, with just one goal in the last five games after a previous stretch of seven goals in five games.
Difficulties on special teams and set plays have forced the Mammoth to rely more on "greasy goals" at the net, but such tactics were not enough against a well-oiled Maple Leafs machine on Wednesday.
"They're a great team," Sergachev said of the reigning Atlantic Division champs. "They play fast, they play with pace, their forecheck is great, and obviously it causes problems."
Utah maintains its top-three spot in the Central Division and Western Conference for now at 9-5 on the season, though Dallas, Anaheim and Las Vegas are just a point behind and hot on the Mammoth's heels. Utah will face all three teams right below it at least once during the month of November, including Vegas twice.
Next up is the final chapter of a lengthy road slate, with the final two games of a period of eight away games in nine for the Mammoth. The back-to-back begins on Saturday in Montreal at 5 p.m. MST on Mammoth+.
