The Utah Mammoth are officially the hottest team in the NHL. With a dominant 6–2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, Utah notched its sixth consecutive win, climbing to the top of the league standings with 14 points, tied with the New Jersey Devils and one point clear of the Colorado Avalanche.
Cooley catches fire again
Rookie sensation Logan Cooley continued his electrifying start to the season, scoring two goals in the opening 3:29 — both coming in spectacular fashion in front of fans from his college days in Minnesota.
His first goal was a highlight-reel strike: Cooley batted a lob pass from John Marino out of midair and tucked it just under the crossbar, leaving Wild goaltender stunned.
“It feels like everything we pass him is going in,” linemate JJ Peterka said. Cooley’s scoring spree gives him seven goals, tying him for the NHL lead.
Vejmelka locks it down
After Minnesota rallied to close the gap to 3–2, goaltender Karel Vejmelka turned away a flurry of shots in the third period — what coach André Tourigny called “a shooting gallery.” Vejmelka stopped nearly everything in sight, finishing with a .943 save percentage and earning his sixth win, the most of any goalie in the league.
Tourigny praised his goalie and the team’s poise:
“They play really well on both sides of the puck and they don’t let success change the way they play.”
Closing strong
Utah sealed the win with a trio of late goals from Nick Schmaltz, Peterka, and Marino, including an empty-netter to cap the night. Schmaltz’s goal tied him with Cooley atop the NHL leaderboard, while Peterka snapped a five-game drought.
The victory marks the longest win streak for the Utah/Arizona franchise since 2019, and it’s the longest active streak in the Western Conference.
What’s next for the league leaders
With confidence surging, the Mammoth aren’t easing up. “We’ve got that swagger and just that winning feeling again,” said Marino. “And that’s something we want to keep going forward.”
Utah now faces its first back-to-back test Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets, followed by a tough matchup Tuesday against Stanley Cup runner-up Edmonton. After that, they’ll return home briefly to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 2.
