WINNIPEG - The Utah Mammoth are the hottest team in the West.
Dylan Guenther scored the winner with less than six minutes left in the game to pull out a 3-2 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday to record their seventh straight victory.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great,鈥 Guenther said. 鈥淲inning鈥檚 fun and we鈥檙e playing a lot of games, too. We鈥檒l just continue to keep it rolling and enjoy this one a bit and get ready for the next one.鈥
Guenther, who posted his fourth game-winning goal this year, has recorded seven points in his last five games, but he credited the Mammoth netminders for their success.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the biggest part of your team, really, is your goaltending,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been unbelievable.鈥
Utah goalie Vitek Vanecek made 28 saves to stave off the Jets and disappoint the 13,678 fans at Canada Life Centre.
Guenther鈥檚 goal gave the entire team a lift.
鈥淚 was like, four minutes still left, and then we got a power play,鈥 Vanecek said. 鈥淏ut that team (is) gonna cheat (at) that point, and then they're gonna try go behind us to get the breakaway or something like that. But we handled it really well and then they didn't get anything. So, great win.鈥
Utah coach Andre Tourigny was pleased with the result.
鈥淕ood performance by V (Vanecek),鈥 he said. 鈥淔irst, he made a key save at key moment(s), as well as our fourth line, I think, gave us a lot of energy.鈥
Tourigny also credited the change in his players鈥 outlook after they improved their record to 8-2.
鈥淚 think we dig deep, and last year, there's a lot of frustration where against that kind of a team (Jets), we were there after two (periods) and we played good, but we could not find a way to get the two points,鈥 he said.
鈥淭onight, we did. We're there after two (on a back-to-back) and we find a way in the tough schedule, so I'm proud of the boys. I think there's a level of maturity, obviously, but I think it's more in the demeanour on the bench.
"When adversity hits, the guys stay composed, they're not (having an) overflow of emotion or frustration on the bench. They鈥檙e rarely the guys who show that frustration. There is frustration but the guys stay under control. So, I think we're not wasting our energy at the wrong place and there's a level of belief, as well, in our team.鈥
Guenther concurred.
鈥淲e鈥檝e talked about it (communication) a lot in the past but we鈥檙e living it now,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 mean, we鈥檝e got a lot of good veterans on our team and us younger guys are just starting to embrace it and it鈥檚 just a part of us now. It鈥檚 a good learning experience and we just keep getting better.鈥
And they are not getting carried away with their early success.
鈥淗onestly, we鈥檙e not getting too high,鈥 Guenther said. 鈥淚 think you can sense it in the room. In the past, we were a little more emotional in a different way. I think we鈥檙e a little more on an even keel this year.鈥
Michael Carcone and Mikhail Sergachev scored the other goals for a team that is constantly improving after failing to make the NHL playoffs last season, its first after moving to Utah from Phoenix.
鈥淚 think they have been building their brand of how they want to play over the years,鈥 said Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo, who opened the scoring. 鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 been easy for that organization. Obviously, they have gone through a lot of ups and downs. I think that move to Utah has really strung things in their favour and you can see the boost that they have when they play there.
鈥淭heir top-end guys are playing the right way. I鈥檓 not saying that they maybe weren鈥檛 doing it before, but it鈥檚 more consistent. Their back end is a lot better than it used to be. They have great depth up and down that lineup. It鈥檚 a fantastic team, there鈥檚 no doubt about it and they鈥檙e off to a hot start.
"Their top guys are feeling it and carrying the load offensively there. We knew it was going to be a tough matchup there and again, we got away from our game there a little bit and had some self-inflicted wounds.鈥
Mark Scheifele scored the other Winnipeg goal. Josh Morrissey assisted on both goals to reach 300 helpers for his NHL career.
鈥淵eah, it鈥檚 cool, for sure,鈥 Morrissey said.
This report by 好色tvwas first published Oct. 26, 2025.
