The Utah Mammoth scored four unanswered goals to beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 on Saturday night at KeyBank Center. John Marino and Anders Lee each finished with a goal and an assist, and goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 23 saves in the win.
Buffalo grabbed an early lead on a power-play goal from Tage Thompson, but Utah answered before the first period ended and never trailed again. Kailer Yamamoto tied the game at 10:12 of the first period, and the Mammoth broke it open with two second-period goals before Marino added an insurance tally in the third. Buffalo goaltender Colten Ellis stopped 26 shots in the loss.
Key Moments: How Utah Mammoth Pulled Away
Thompson’s power-play goal at 8:00 of the first period gave Buffalo its first man-advantage goal of the season and an early 1-0 lead. Yamamoto erased that edge just over two minutes later, scoring on a wrist shot assisted by Barrett Hayton and Mikhail Sergachev to make it 1-1.
The Mammoth took control in the second period. Nick Schmaltz scored on a power play at 15:23, assisted by Cooley and Keller, to put Utah ahead 2-1. Lee followed at 17:24 with a backhand goal, assisted by Marino and Yamamoto, stretching the lead to 3-1 heading into the third.
Marino capped the scoring with a power-play slap shot at 1:45 of the third period, assisted by Hayton and Lee, making it 4-1.
Top Performers From Both Teams
Marino and Lee each posted a goal and an assist for Utah, while Hayton recorded two assists and Yamamoto added a goal and an assist of his own. Schmaltz’s goal was his sixth in six games this season. Vejmelka made 23 saves for Utah on 24 shots, and Ellis made 26 saves on 30 shots for Buffalo. Thompson scored Buffalo’s only goal, and Rasmus Dahlin picked up the lone assist on it.
Utah’s power play finished 2-for-5 on the night, continuing a trend that has made the unit the most productive in the league. The Mammoth entered the game leading the NHL with 10 power-play goals in 25 chances this season. Buffalo converted just once in four tries, part of a power play that ranks near the bottom of the league with a single goal on 18 attempts coming into Saturday.
What It Means For Utah And Buffalo
The win pushed Utah to 4-2-0, first place in the Central Division with 8 points. The Mammoth bounced back from a 6-1 loss in Boston on Thursday and won for the third time on a five-game road trip.
Buffalo dropped to 2-3-0 and fell to fourth in the Atlantic Division. The loss was the Sabres’ second straight at home, a stretch that has slowed what had been a competitive start to their season.
What’s Next
Utah hosts Toronto on Tuesday. Buffalo hosts Florida on Monday to close a five-game homestand.
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