Buoyed by first playoff berth, Mammoth take on Eastern Conference-leading Canes

With a playoff spot locked up, the Utah Mammoth will look to extend their winning streak to six when they wrap up a three-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon.

Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther each had a goal and an assist, and Kailer Yamamoto and Lawson Crouse also tallied as the Mammoth (42-30-6, 90 points) topped the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Thursday.

The Utah victory, coupled with the San Jose loss on Thursday, saw the Mammoth clinch a playoff spot for the first time since joining the NHL as an expansion team for the 2024-25 season.

Clayton Keller had three assists, Logan Cooley added a pair of helpers and Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves.

"I think we have a very good team," said Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny. "The guys are getting older, more mature, and they learn from what happens. The (general manager) does a great job to improve the team every year. It's easy now to look back and see we started from scratch. It's a privilege when you start the process where you start. It's not every time you have that much runway, so I feel fortunate and try to keep improving every year for the next."

Thursday's victory also saw multiple Mammoth forwards extend personal point streaks to six games.

Keller, the team leader with 57 assists and 83 points in 78 games this season, has four goals and 11 assists in the last six contests. Guenther, who paces the Mammoth with 39 goals, has netted five goals and seven assists during the streak.

Cooley has 11 points (six goals, five assists) and Schmaltz has five tallies and four helpers during their streaks.

Saturday marks the second and final meeting between the clubs this regular season. Host Carolina edged Utah 5-4 on Jan. 29.

The Hurricanes travel to Utah riding back-to-back wins, but needing a few more to lock up the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Carolina (51-22-6, 108 points) holds a two-point lead on the Buffalo Sabres for the top spot in the conference with a game in hand.

Logan Stankoven scored twice and added an assist as the Hurricanes thumped the host Chicago Blackhawks 7-2 on Thursday.

Mark Jankowski also scored twice while goaltender Frederik Andersen made 23 saves.

"Everyone was contributing. It was a lot of fun out there," Jankowski said. "Up and down the lineup, everyone played a role and did their part, and it was a big team win. So, yeah, it was a lot of fun."

Taylor Hall chipped in a goal and an assist. Defensemen K'Andre Miller and Sean Walker also tallied for the Hurricanes, who improved to 22-12-4 on the road this season.

Carolina was without key regulars in the lineup at Chicago, including defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield along with forwards Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook, Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.

The Hurricanes recalled forwards Skyler Brind'Amour, Bradly Nadeau and Josiah Slavin and defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault from the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves -- and all four dressed against the Blackhawks.

"They fit perfectly," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour, who's Skyler's father. "They know how to play. They know how we play. Obviously, they're not replacing the guys we had out, but it helps when you have guys who know what they're doing."