Welcome to the Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights 2026 Western Conference Stanley Cup Playoff First-Round series recap. Game 6 is over, which means the Golden Knights have won the series 4-2 and eliminated the Mammoth. Vegas moves on to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and will take on the Anaheim Ducks, who knocked out the Edmonton Oilers in six games. This was a high-scoring and physical matchup between the Mammoth and Golden Knights, where a total of 41 goals were scored. As for Utah, they’re now looking ahead to the NHL Draft and free agency on July 1st.
Utah Mammoth vs Vegas Golden Knights Series Recap
Overtime Helped Decide Series
Credit Image: © Alex Cave/ZUMA Press Wire
Overtime played a pivotal role in the Golden Knights’ series victory over the Mammoth. Vegas won back-to-back OTs in Games 4 and 5 by 5-4 scores. That gave them a 3-2 series advantage, and ultimately helped pave the way for the Golden Knights to win the round. Shea Theodore was the overtime hero in Game 4, while Brett Howden scored the winner in Game 5. He scored in Game 6 as well, which was Howden’s fourth of the postseason. Mitch Marner also added a pair of goals and an assist to secure the series win.
Defensive breakdowns by the Mammoth led to each overtime goal for Vegas. Utah played great defence for much of the round, having made it difficult for the Golden Knights to sustain time in the offensive zone. However, losing two-straight games in OT because of defensive lapses completely shifted the momentum in favour of Vegas. The Mammoth were up 2-1 prior to the overtime losses.
Powerless Power Play
The Utah power play was ineffective in the series, going 1/16, and allowed two shorthanded goals. Howden’s OT winner in Game 5 happened while Utah was on the power play. So the Mammoth were actually outscored by the Golden Knights 2-1 while up a man. Vegas was one of the best penalty killing teams in the regular season, Utah just couldn’t put one behind Carter Hart.
Although the power play was subpar, the penalty kill did do its job. The Mammoth allowed just four power play goals, killing off 16/20 against a dangerous Golden Knights pp unit. Their PK finished the regular season ranked 19th, so there was an improvement during the playoffs. Unfortunately, the lack of execution on the power play significantly hurt the Mammoth.
A Huge Step for Utah
The 2025-2026 season didn’t end the way the Mammoth had hoped, but they took a big step forward. Thought to still be in a rebuild, Utah exceeded all expectations and made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. That alone is something to be proud of for a team that just finished their second-ever year.
Having gained valuable playoff experience, the Mammoth can build off of their performance this season and try again next year. Not only that, Utah has one of the highest-ranked prospect pools in the NHL, and plenty of cap space to make the roster better. With the likes of Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, and Clayton Keller, this is just the beginning for the young franchise.
Main Photo Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
