Schmaltz, Keller make history as they power Mammoth to win over Blues

SALT LAKE CITY — It was Friday night smackdown at the Delta Center as the Mammoth threw some big punches — figuratively and literally — en route to a key division win over the St. Louis Blues.

Nick Schmaltz was big for Utah, totaling 3 points on two goals and an assist in a 4-2 victory. Clayton Keller added three assists and Lawson Crouse notched a goal for the second straight game.

Schmaltz made some key plays on offense and defense that helped the Mammoth hold on late, including a late goal to put the game away.

"Schmaltzy was possessed," Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny said. "The speed he had defensively, his face off and his PK, everything. I liked our power play movement. Obviously, PK came up big in a key moment."

Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka made key saves throughout the game, helping stop a vital power play for the Blues.

Vejmelka became the first goalie in the NHL to reach 20 wins this season and the fastest Czech goalie since Dominik Hasek to get to 20 wins in a season. The soon-to-be Olympian recorded 26 saves on 28 shots to help Utah win its third consecutive game.

"When I was 5, 6 years old, when I started to play goalie, Hasek was one of my favorite goalies," Vejmelka said. "It was really fun to watch him, and it was a different kind of hockey, but it was fun to watch, and it's insane what he did."

It was another physical matchup for the Mammoth, and the tone was set early with a fight to open up the game right after the puck drop.

Jack McBain got right to business as he dropped his gloves in the opening seconds to fight Alexey Toropchenko. McBain dropped Toropchenko quickly, winning the heavyweight bout.

"It's kind of the culture we built in here," Schmaltz said. "Awesome to see that Bainer got us going there, and happy we got the win; and he kind of set the tone for us tonight."

The fight may have been retaliation for an incident that happened when the two teams met in November. Toropchenko hit Utah's Logan Cooley low and was called for a game misconduct for the knee-to-knee contact.

"We didn't like the hit on (Cooley) when we were in St. Louis, and that's not the kind of thing that can come from a coach," Tourigny said. "I didn't say a word about it, but I think it showed how much guys care for each other. I think that that's what it is. And I'm not saying it has to happen, but I'm saying I didn't mind."

The fight was McBain's third fighting major this season, tying Liam O'Brien for the team lead. It was also the fastest fight to begin any contest in franchise history.

There was some other pleasantries shared between the teams throughout the game, adding to the physical nature of Friday's game.

Schmaltz scored the game's opening goal in the first period after Clayton Keller's shot on goal deflected right back to Schmaltz. Despite being out-shot in the period, the Mammoth took advantage of the opportunity to take the lead.

Branden Tanev got mixed up with Brayden Schenn and the two dropped their gloves and had a little skirmish of their own. The fight helped spark another goal for Utah, as Crouse's snap shot zipped past St. Louis goaltender Joel Hofer.

But when the Mammoth threw a punch, the Blues threw one right back.

Before the stadium PA could finish giving the scoring details on Crouse's goal, Oskar Sundqvist found the back of the net for the Blues, cutting the deficit in half.

Schmaltz later connected with Sean Durzi on a pass, who was wide open on the left side of the goal, and Durzi capitalized with his one timer.

St. Louis answered once more when Pavel Buchnevich and the Blues took advantage of a delayed penalty, getting another shot past Vejmelka.

Utah closed out the final period strong to keep St. Louis scoreless in the period and picked up another goal from Schmaltz.

Keller found Schmaltz, once again, on a scoring play — this time making history. The pair connected for their 198th goal, which is the highest total by a pair of U.S.-born teammates in NHL history.

"It's great," Schmaltz said when asked about the record. "It feels like we've been playing with each other for a long time. We know where each other are at all times on the ice and always looking for each other. It's been a heck of a ride playing with him, and hopefully we've got many more great numbers ahead."

Schmaltz's second goal of the night was on a power play, giving the Mammoth a commanding 4-2 lead.

Special teams played a big factor in the crucial win over a divisional opponent for Utah. The Mammoth scored on one of their three man advantages while killing off the Blues' four power play chances.

"If you win the special teams battle, I feel like you're gonna win a lot of games, most nights in this league," Schmaltz said. "We didn't do our job in the first two periods, but when it mattered, in the third we were able to capitalize on a big power play goal and kind of give us a little two goal cushion."

Utah is picking up some good momentum right now but they'll have the challenge of welcoming one of the top offenses in the NHL to town, with a matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets looming on Sunday.

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