Clayton Keller recorded a hat trick and an assist to lead the Utah Mammoth to a 7-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks, capping off a perfect road trip and strengthening their playoff position.
Clayton Keller delivered a statement performance Saturday night, piling up three goals and an assist as the Utah Mammoth powered past the Vancouver Canucks 7-4 at Rogers Arena.
Keller Leads Balanced Offensive Surge
Keller set the tone early and never let up. His first two goals — a late first-period wrist shot that deflected in and a power-play tip in the second — helped Utah seize control, and he later capped off the night with an empty-netter to secure his third career hat trick.
Utah’s offense came from everywhere. Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crouse each finished with a goal and an assist, while Logan Cooley quietly drove play with two helpers. The win pushed the Mammoth to 40-30-6, extending a perfect three-game road trip and strengthening their grip on the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot.
Even without key pieces like MacKenzie Weegar and Jack McBain, Utah showed its depth. Karel Vejmelka turned aside 19 shots, while replacements stepped up in a big way — none bigger than Liam O'Brien, who snapped an 18-game stretch as a healthy scratch with a breakaway goal midway through the third that restored breathing room.
Vancouver had its moments but couldn’t sustain them. Linus Karlsson scored twice in his 100th NHL game, and Filip Hronek added two assists, but the Canucks’ defensive lapses continued to be costly. Nikita Tolopilo made 17 saves as Vancouver dropped its seventh game in the last eight.
The Canucks struck first when Karlsson found space off the rush early in the opening period, but Utah answered before the intermission on a creative deflection from Kailer Yamamoto and then grabbed the lead for good behind Keller’s late-period finish.
From there, Utah’s attack kept coming. Keller’s power-play redirection early in the second restored the lead after a brief Vancouver push, and Guenther extended it with a sharp-angle finish following a crisp passing sequence.
Vancouver made things interesting in the third, scoring twice on the power play to pull within one, but each push was met with an immediate response. Crouse capitalized on a turnover to make it 5-3, O’Brien broke free for his highlight-reel tally to stretch it again, and Keller’s empty-net goal sealed it.
It was the kind of complete, resilient effort Utah needed — scoring depth, timely responses, and just enough structure defensively — as the playoff race tightens down the stretch.
