LAS VEGAS — Kailer Yamamoto is a man of few words, but the three he used to describe the Utah Mammoth’s locker room after its first-ever playoff win said it all.
The Mammoth’s series with Vegas Golden Knights was one of the biggest question marks in the league going into this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On one hand, you have a somewhat-recent championship team that significantly underperformed in the regular season. Yet, after a coaching change, the team went on a 7-0-1 run to clinch the division title.
On the other hand, you have a young, inexperienced team — both on the ice and behind the bench — that has found ways to beat good teams all year, including the Golden Knights.
The result, at least through two games, is a deadlock. Not only is the series knotted at 1-1, but neither team has even maintained any semblance of dominance for more than a few minutes at a time.
“That’s what playoffs are all about, you know?” said Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar after Utah’s 3-2 win at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday. “Tight games like that, and we willed our way to get that win tonight.”
The teams now head to Salt Lake City for a two-game set. With each team having won a game, they’re guaranteed to make at least one more trip to Sin City.
For the first couple years of their respective careers, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley chipped in secondary offense, with guys like Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz doing the bulk of the heavy lifting.
This season, it has begun to switch — and in the playoffs especially, the two young guns have been the Mammoth’s primary source for offense.
“These two are unbelievable,” said Yamamoto of his two line mates. “Everything they do, you know, very easy to play with for myself and they just use their speed. They’re so quick and heavy on pucks.”
GPS said it’s Gunner's turn 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pofjPelOhA
Much has been said about the difference between the playoffs and the regular season. Around the league, there are plenty of stars who score a point per game or more from October through the first two weeks of April, but lose their touch as soon as the postseason rolls around.
It’s still early into their playoff careers, but it seems as though that won’t be the case for Guenther and Cooley.
“The games are so intense, physical, fast, and I think that fits my game,” Cooley said.
He also expressed how much he cares — a trait he shares with every difference-maker in the history of the game.
“It’s so exciting playing these games,” he said. “You’re playing for the Cup. It’s what you dream of since you’re a little kid, and you just want to leave everything out there.”
Also, really quickly: Yamamoto’s contract is up at the end of the season. With how well he has complemented Guenther and Cooley — including registering two assists on Tuesday — it’s time to start thinking about an extension for No. 56.
He has played the last two seasons on two-way deals worth the league-minimum salary at the NHL level. Perhaps it’s time for him to get a raise akin to what Michael Carcone received in March.
Good playoff teams know how to play physically without taking unnecessary penalties.
That’s how Game 1 was: A combined 82 hits with just one power play for each team. But in Game 2, the penalty box attendants probably endangered their rotator cuffs with how much they had to open and close the gates.