Golden Knights-Mammoth series preview: Breakdown, X factors and prediction

The Vegas Golden Knights are about to find out if momentum can carry over to the playoffs.

The Knights, after wrapping up their fifth Pacific Division title in nine years, open their eighth trip to the postseason against the upstart Utah Mammoth in the first round.

Game 1 is at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.

The Knights ended the season on a 7-0-1 run under new coach John Tortorella after Bruce Cassidy was fired on March 29. They rallied from third place, being four points from the playoff cutline, to finishing with a 10-game point streak and a division title.

This will mark the first playoff series between two of the league’s newest franchises. Formerly the Arizona Coyotes, the Mammoth relocated to Salt Lake City before the 2024-25 season.

In those two years, the Mammoth have found a home under stable ownership and are reaping the rewards of a yearslong process to get back to playoff contention. They went from 89 points last season to winning five more games this year.

Here’s what to watch for in the series:

About the Mammoth

The climb to playoff contention for the Mammoth is bittersweet.

Organizationally, they’ve done it through the unconventional way in the NHL — patience.

They did it through the draft, dating back to taking captain Clayton Keller with the seventh pick in the 2016 draft. Keller stayed through the rough years in Arizona, whether at the bottom of the standings or playing NHL games in a college arena.

It has taken some time before Keller evolved into one of the league’s elite playmakers. His 401 points since the 2021-22 season are the 18th most in the NHL.

This was his third 80-point season in the past four years. His previous career-high was 65 points.

Center Barrett Hayton is another Arizona mainstay as the fifth overall pick in 2018.

But those Arizona natives who loved their Coyotes are likely wondering what could have been. It took two years, with a plan led by Mammoth and Jazz owner Ryan Smith, to turn them into a playoff team.

Their younger, homegrown talent has taken steps sooner than expected, led by 40-goal scorer Dylan Guenther, 23, and 25-goal scorer Logan Cooley, 21.

General manager Bill Armstrong felt now was the time to put the right mix of talent around the younger generation, while giving Keller and Hayton reinforcements.

They swung for the fences on a draft-day trade in 2024 to acquire defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning, then added 25-goal scorer JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade this past offseason.

Utah added championship experience, like former Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt freshly removed from winning a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last year, and two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman Ian Cole.

The Mammoth also pulled off a blockbuster before the trade deadline in acquiring defenseman Mackenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames.

It’s the mix of championship experience and up-and-coming talent that on-the-rise teams need. Utah has taken that next step through careful planning.

Season series lookback

The Mammoth took two out of three against the Knights. Both wins came when they were in control throughout.

The Knights took the first meeting 4-1 on Nov. 20 at the Delta Center thanks to a three-point night from Jack Eichel. Braeden Bowman added his third goal in five games since being called up to the NHL roster.

Utah got revenge four days later thanks to the first four-goal game of Cooley’s career in a 5-1 win.

The Mammoth’s lone trip to T-Mobile Arena on March 20 was best remembered for Adin Hill giving up three goals on the first three shots in a 4-0 Utah victory.

X-Factors

Mammoth: Nick Schmaltz, C: Second on the team with 33 goals entering Utah’s season finale, Schmaltz leads the Mammoth with 11 power play goals. Utah’s power play (20 percent) is 18th best in the NHL, but he makes that man advantage go.

Golden Knights: Pavel Dorofeyev, RW: The Knights’ leading goal scorer is about to start his second postseason after appearing in eight games last year. He scored in Game 1 against Minnesota in the first round and didn’t have a goal the rest of the way. Dorofeyev will need to provide timely scoring at some point.

Key battle

Goaltending

The Knights will probably start with Carter Hart in Game 1. Since returning from a three-month absence because of a lower-body injury, Hart has won all six starts with a .930 save percentage and 1.66 goals against.

Opposite him is the NHL’s workhorse in Karel Vejmelka, who led the league with 62 starts. His 38 wins are only behind Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vejmelka has a sub-.900 save percentage (.897) but has been tagged for just 2.73 goals against. Since the Olympic break, Vejmelka has an .885 save percentage and 3.09 GAA.

Prediction

Time will tell if the Knights can keep this momentum going. Ultimately, experience is going to play a factor. The Knights’ top players have the big-game experience. Utah isn’t there yet. That should be enough for the Knights to get it done. Knights in 6