Over the past few weeks, all eyes in the NHL have been fixed on the Stanley Cup Finals.
Two titans in the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes duked it out, and the Hurricanes now hold Lord Stanley.
The Hurricanes ran through a tight Eastern Conference, sweeping most of their competition. The Knights, on the other hand, battled past formidable opponents in the West.
Vegas’ toughest opponent in the Western Conference came from a young team in Utah. If not for a last-minute goal, the Utah Mammoth could have taken a 3-1 lead in that series.
Though the series ended in heartbreak for Mammoth Nation, it did prove one thing to the NHL. This team is no longer the Arizona Coyotes of old. Under new ownership, the young team gave Vegas the hardest competition they had faced until they met the Canes. The series proved the Mammoth are closer to cup contention than many NHL fans and pundits previously thought.
Toughest Team Vegas Faced?
Of all the teams the Knights faced (besides the Hurricanes), Utah played them the best. The Colorado Avalanche barely put up any resistance against Vegas, despite having the best regular-season record.
While the Anaheim Ducks gave Vegas some fits, they never led in their series against the Knights, as the Mammoth did. The Knight’s physicality pushed teams off the puck, leading them to never take full control of a game.
The Mammoth combated this tactic by using crisp passing and speed to get behind Vegas’s backline. This led to goals such as the Logan Cooley game-winner that silenced the Vegas crowd in Game 2.
The Stats to Back it Up
Speaking of goals, the Mammoth scored the most goals (18) on Vegas’s goaltender, Carter Hart, besides Carolina. They even had the best goal differential of -5 out of all the Western teams the Knights faced.
For a less physical team, the Mammoth laid more hits (250) in their series against the Knights than the Ducks did (219). Utah also performed better in penalty kill percentage (67.5%) compared to Anaheim’s 59.5% PK percentage. The Ducks performed better, sending shots towards the net. They managed 186 shots compared to the Mammoth’s 166.
However, the Mammoth got more quality shots to find the back of the goal. In Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs, the Mammoth scored four goals on 12 shots.
The Mammoth had a better chance at moving past the Stanley Cup contenders than any other Western Conference team. With a potent offense, hampering defense and controlling the series at times, what stopped this young team from moving on?
Mammoth Shortcomings
The power play and experience killed the Mammoth’s chances at winning the series. Out of 16 attempts on the power play, the Mammoth only scored once. Besides failed scoring attempts, numerous short-handed goals came from their predictable power play.
If the Mammoth scored at least two to three more goals, it would’ve given them a better chance to win the series. Lack of playoff experience became another shortcoming for the young team.
This absence of playoff knowledge reared its ugly head in Games 4 and 5. In both games, the Mammoth had the lead in the waning minutes, and one mistake cost them the advantage. Once they lost the lead, the young core couldn’t recover enough from the setback to win in overtime.
Minor Fixes
If Utah wants to become a true Stanley Cup contender, they have to fix some problems. First and foremost, they need either a new power-play coach or to embrace a new system. Passing the puck around and letting Dylan Guenther shoot one-timers from the circle became far too predictable. Opposing teams like the Knights can key in on players like Guenther and force the puck out.
Blaine Forsythe’s scheme received scrutiny in the middle of the season. At one point, the Mammoth’s power play ranked second-worst in the league. The playoffs were no better, showing the power play needs a major overhaul.
Besides the power play, the Mammoth need one more consistent, all-star-level player. JJ Peterka has a chance at becoming that player, but the team may have to look to free agency and the trade market to fill that position.
Why Does This Matter?
If the issues mentioned above get fixed, the Mammoth can become perennial playoff contenders. The old guard of Colorado, the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars find themselves aging out. The Avs got a super team and were swept, while the Wild and Stars’ futures are in flux with salary issues.
Even the Knights’ future seems uncertain as well, with the lack of assets and aging talent. If they play their cards right, the Mammoth can become a force in the ever-changing Western Conference.
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