The Utah Mammoth will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Utah gets there for the first time in franchise history. The Mammoth entered the postseason as the Western Conference's first wild card after finishing fourth in the Central Division with 92 points in their second season.
Utah did not sneak in on defense alone. The Mammoth had six skaters with at least 20 goals, led by Dylan Guenther's 40, while Nick Schmaltz scored 33, Clayton Keller 26, JJ Peterka 25, and Lawson Crouse and Logan Cooley each finished with 24. Keller led Utah with 88 points, followed by Schmaltz at 74, Guenther at 73 and Mikhail Sergachev at 59.
That scoring depth helped Utah average 3.27 goals for per game while allowing 2.93 goals against per game, with Karel Vejmelka carrying the biggest load in net. He led the NHL in games played with 64, went 38-20-3 with two shutouts, and finished with a 2.75 goals-against average and a.897 save percentage. Vítek Vaněček handled 22 games, going 5-13-3 with a 2.93 goals-against average and a.883 save percentage. Utah also added veteran defenseman MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames ahead of the trade deadline, a move that gave the club another experienced piece for the stretch run.
Vegas brings a different kind of resume into the series. The Golden Knights finished first in the Pacific Division with 95 points and have reached the playoffs eight times in nine seasons. They also had six players score at least 20 goals, with Pavel Dorofeyev leading the way at 37, followed by Mark Stone with 28, Jack Eichel with 27, Tomas Hertl and Mitch Marner with 24 each, and Ivan Barbashev with 23. Eichel led Vegas with 90 points, while Marner had 80, Stone 73, Dorofeyev 64, Barbashev 61 and Hertl 58.
The most fragile part of Vegas may be in goal. Adin Hill and Carter Hart are the current goaltender rotation, and their numbers have been uneven: Hill is 10-9-6 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a.871 save percentage, while Hart is 11-3-3 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a.891 save percentage. That sets up a series where Utah's balanced attack will be tested against a team used to the pressure of spring hockey, and where the Mammoth's first playoff trip could quickly turn on whether they can make their depth matter against a more seasoned opponent.