- Karel Vejmelka's 28 saves secured Utah Mammoth's 4-0 win over Vegas.
- Clayton Keller scored twice boosting his season total to 22 goals.
- Vegas struggled offensively despite a goalie change; Barrett Hayton sealed the win.
LAS VEGAS — A three-goal lead in the opening period was all the Mammoth needed to claim an eventual 4-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday night.
Karel Vejmelka was great in net for Utah, racking up 28 saves and recording his second shutout of the season and eighth of his NHL career.
The Mammoth jumped out to a fast start in Sin City, picking up three goals on the team's first three shot attempts. Three goals before midway through the first period forced Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy to pull starting goaltender Adin Hill and replace him with Akira Schmid, who filled in well for the Golden Knights.
But the damage had already been done.
Clayton Keller scored the first two goals for Utah, adding to his season total of 22 goals and giving him 67 points in 68 games this season. Keller fired the puck all game, racking up six shots in the win.
Almost three minutes into the contest, Keller was able to get his first shot past Hill on the right side after John Marino set him up with a great pass. Marino continues to add to his career-year with Utah, where the defenseman added another point to his career-high 31 points this season.
Keller soon picked up another goal, this one coming on the right side after he cleaned up a shot from Lawson Crouse.
After failing to register a goal for 20 consecutive games, Jack McBain scored for the second straight game when he buried another shot to give the Mammoth three goals on three shots, and a deficit that was too much for Vegas to overcome.
Vegas had some good looks early and were able to get a couple of shots on net, but Vejmelka held strong. It was a taste of things to come as the Golden Knights struggled all game to take advantage of shot opportunities.
The goaltender switch for the Golden Knights worked and Schmid contained the Mammoth's offense to hold them scoreless with 14 saves. But Vegas failed to get anything going offensively. Even on a night where Utah struggled on the man advantage, the Golden Knights failed to score any special teams goals of their own.
A wild moment occurred when Kevin Stenlund burst out of the penalty box to track down the puck and was met by Schmid, which then left Vegas' net open. Even then, though, the Mammoth were unable to take advantage.
The Golden Knights had a favorable power late that could have given them life, but Utah's defense shut down any chance of a miraculous comeback and handed Vegas its second consecutive home shutout.
Barrett Hayton added an empty net goal in the dying seconds to give himself a 2-point night and cap off a strong team performance.
After defeating two playoff teams on the road, the Mammoth will be back in action Friday night to complete the second game of a back-to-back against the Anaheim Ducks.
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Jaxon Wynder
