Daniil But first career goal was a bright spot for the Utah Mammoth today. But unfortunately for the Mammoth, But's goal was all there was to really cheer for in its 2-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. It's certainly a more rewarding feeling to score goals in wins, rather than losses like today, but this goal has been a long time coming for But as he has fit in great with this team and helped Utah manage life without Logan Cooley. "Not going to lie, It felt good when I scored. But the most important thing is winning," said But. The rookie showed impressive skill on his first goal, perfectly slinging the puck over New Jersey’s Jacob Markstrom with a sideways backhand. He also capitalized on the chaos of the play, cutting in after Sean Durzi managed to keep the puck from crossing the blue line. Scoring a goal after a minor collision with a teammate — Michael Carcone — still counts as a good niche skill to have in the NHL even if it's a little bizarre. Fittingly, the goal came on the power play, as all three of But’s points have come with the man advantage. His inclusion on the power-play unit has helped Utah score on four of its last five opportunities. "I was a matter of time. He's playing good hockey," said André Tourigny. "I know that it was coming and I'm happy for him. It was an important goal for us." However, make no mistake: But would have preferred the win. PENALTIES GALORE Utah’s penalty kill has been one of the team’s biggest strengths this season, operating at an 83% success rate that ranks sixth in the league. Killing its first four penalties — including a 5-on-3 opportunity for New Jersey — played a major role in the Mammoth holding the lead. Utah made the necessary clears and did not allow its penalty-kill shifts to drag on. But even for a team that has been as successful as the Mammoth on the penalty kill, it is never a good idea to keep giving opponents power-play chances. When New Jersey earned its fifth opportunity with the man advantage, Utah finally made a mistake, and the Devils capitalized to take the lead. Sure, the goal happened because the Mammoth failed to clear a rebound, which left Stefan Noesen with a wide-open net, but it is simply harder to play hockey when you are down a player. Being close to perfect in every area of the game is the goal, but Utah did not need to put itself in that position. With the Mammoth only managing one goal, special teams became even more important in this game. KERFOOT GETS HIS LEGS UNDER HIM After missing 36 games due to an abdominal injury that required surgery, Alexander Kerfoot made his debut against the New Jersey Devils. "My first couple shifts, it was just feeling, trying to keep it short," said Kerfoot. "But overall, the game felt fast, but I felt good and felt like my touches were good when I was out there and just got to keep building." Known for his strong penalty-killing ability, Kerfoot gives a boost to an already solid penalty-killing group for the Utah Mammoth. Even with that skill set, Kerfoot wasn't asked to kill penalties in his first game back. And it makes sense. It should take some time for him to get fully adjusted, especially since this is the first time he has dealt with this type of injury in his career. "I don't want to come in and disrupt things at all," said Kerfoot. "They've been doing a great job and when there's opportunities, I'll go in and do my job. But they've been doing a great job all season long." Nothing to crazy happened during Kerfoot’s 8:14 of ice time, as he only had one shot and a couple hits, but Utah was glad to have someone as reliable as him back in the lineup. It will take more time to see Kerfoot return to form, but the Mammoth are happy to have him back.
