The Utah Mammoth scored twice on their league-leading power play as they topped the host Buffalo Sabres 4-1 on Saturday night.
Buffalo’s Tage Thompson and Utah’s Kailer Yamamoto traded goals in the first period before the Mammoth broke the game open with two goals in just over two minutes late in the middle frame. Karel Vejmelka made 23 saves in his third win of the season.
Yamamoto, John Marino and offseason acquisition Anders Lee each recorded a goal and an assist. Barrett Hayton chipped in with two assists.
Thompson opened the scoring exactly eight minutes into the game. He carried the puck into the zone and banked it in off Vejmelka from the side of the net. It was Buffalo’s first power-play goal in 14 opportunities this season.
Just over two minutes later, Yamamoto rewarded Utah coach Andre Tourigny’s decision to slot him into the lineup for the first time this season as he drove to the front of the net and tapped in Hayton’s centering pass to tie it 1-1 at 10:12.
Smarting from a dismal showing on the man-advantage two nights earlier, the Mammoth power play looked substantially better-coordinated. Nick Schmaltz received a cross-crease pass from Logan Cooley and buried a one-timer from close range to make it 2-1 at 15:23 of the second.
Marino picked off Louis Crevier’s clearing attempt and played the puck to Lee, who pulled it onto his backhand and slid it under the pad of a sprawling Colten Ellis to extend the lead to 3-1 at 17:24 of the period.
Marino put the Mammoth up 4-1 at 1:45 of the third with a slap shot from the point on the power play.
The defeat marked the Sabres’ first consecutive losses on the season. Utah has now won all five matchups between the two teams.
Vejmelka was issued a 10-minute misconduct in the second period for throwing a stick into the mesh. Dmitri Simashev served the penalty. Peyton Krebs and Mackenzie Weegar had a brief round of fisticuffs later in the period.
