Karel Vejmelka turned aside all 15 shots he faced, and Dylan Guenther struck twice on the power play as the Utah Mammoth skated into the new season with a 6-0 shutout of the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center on Thursday.
Key takeaways
- Vejmelka recorded the ninth shutout of his NHL career in a light-but-clean 15-save opening-night performance.
- Guenther scored both of Utah’s power-play goals, including the first marker late in the opening period.
- Anders Lee scored in his first game for the Mammoth after arriving from the New York Islanders in free agency.
- Michael Carcone posted a goal and an assist, while Clayton Keller supplied two assists.
- Chicago fell to 0-2-0 on its season-opening three-game road swing after goaltender Arvid Soderblom made 26 saves.
Utah breaks it open after a late first-period push
The game was still scoreless late in the first when Guenther gave the Mammoth the breakthrough at 16:41. Logan Cooley fed him at the top of the right circle, and Guenther fired home a power-play shot for a 1-0 lead.
Utah doubled the margin only 40 seconds later. Kevin Stenlund found Carcone low in the left circle, where the forward finished at 17:21 to send the Mammoth to the intermission ahead by two.
Chicago had already opened its trip with a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, and Utah did not give the Blackhawks much room to recover in the middle frame.
Nick Schmaltz made it 3-0 at 9:47 of the second period, collecting a rebound on the right side and lifting it over Soderblom’s pad. Lee followed at 13:06, getting his stick on a puck in the slot for his first Utah goal.
Guenther added his second of the night at 15:28, redirecting Keller’s pass on another Mammoth power play to stretch the lead to 5-0.
Lee scores in Mammoth debut as Vejmelka closes the door
Lee’s first game in Utah came after a long run with the Islanders. The veteran spent each of his first 14 NHL seasons with New York before signing a three-year contract worth $16.2 million on July 1, carrying a $5.4 million average annual value.
The Mammoth completed the scoring at 12:50 of the third period. Carcone put a shot toward the net, and Daniil But redirected it past Soderblom for the 6-0 final.
Vejmelka did the rest, staying square through Chicago’s 15 shots and earning shutout No. 9. Utah has now won each of its three home openers in franchise history.
The Blackhawks remain winless through two games, while Utah begins its season with a complete night: timely special teams work, contributions from its newcomers and a goaltender who never allowed Chicago a route back into the game.
