'I don't have a lot to whine about': Injury ridden Mammoth earn point despite shootout loss
SALT LAKE CITY – With injuries piling up and the odds seemingly stacked against them on the second half of a back-to-back; the Utah Mammoth offered a commendable effort against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.
Despite eventually losing in their first shootout since April of 2025, Utah showed plenty of heart and defensive commitment to grind out a well-deserved point.
Utah Mammoth claw their way to well-deserved point against St. Louis Blues
It’s not often that both goaltenders finish a game with a perfect 1.000 save percentage, but that’s exactly what happened when Karel Vejmelka and Joel Hofer each recorded a shutout in a game that went scoreless through regulation and overtime.
What the game lacked in offense, it more than made up for in heart and determination.
The Utah Mammoth battled hard and earned a well-deserved point before ultimately falling 3-2 in a shootout.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “We challenged them this morning when we talked about having to accept to play the kind of game, a little bit different than when we have a full lineup.”
“The boys really bought into that. They played a hard checking game. They played really good. Probably our best game in our D-zone of the year…could not be more proud of our guys.”
Once again forced to compete without key contributors John Marino, Nate Schmidt and Dylan Guenther, along with the more recent absence of Nick Schmaltz, earning even a single point was always going to be a challenge for Utah.
Despite the adversity, the Mammoth found a way to get it done, delivering their best defensive performance of the season against a well-rested St. Louis team to secure a valuable point.
Starting with Vejmelka, No. 70 arguably delivered his best performance of the season, turning aside all 22 shots he faced, coming up with crucial saves in key moments and even giving Utah a chance to win in the shootout.
Denied by Vejmelka! https://t.co/NrdcDZDLGT
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) November 13, 2026
From there, it was Utah’s leadership group and veteran presence that helped lead the charge toward earning a well-deserved point.
Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev paced all Mammoth skaters with 28 minutes of ice time and was virtually flawless defensively, while Clayton Keller helped drag his team into the fight with a noticeable increase in intensity and determination in his battles.
“You don’t have your team buying in, playing that hard defensively because the coach says so,” Tourigny explained. “It’s because the leaders say so. It’s the leaders who bought in and everybody else bought in.”
“Keller won way more battles… Lee was heavy down low, Trocheck played a million minutes… I don’t have a lot to whine [about] right now.”
From top to bottom, the Mammoth clawed their way to a point despite being absolutely decimated by injuries.
That’s exactly what it’s going to take to keep their heads above water during this stretch: everyone giving a little more, finding another gear and embracing new roles.
Without that collective commitment, the ship could sink rather quickly.
Emerging from an ugly, sloppy, defensive battle with a point is certainly commendable. And while there are no moral victories in the National Hockey League, Utah deserves credit for the effort it put forth tonight.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will continue their five-game homestand against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday at 7 pm MST.
The game will be available on SEG+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Follow him on X. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
Take us with you, wherever you go.
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