Utah Mammoth open season with 6-0 shutout win over Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The Utah Mammoth opened their 2026-27 NHL season with a 6-0 shutout of the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center on Thursday, using goaltending and a multi-goal power-play performance to turn the season opener into a rout. Karel Vejmelka stopped 15 shots to earn the team’s victory and posted his ninth NHL shutout as the Mammoth limited Chicago to no goals across the full game.

Utah’s offence was led by Dylan Guenther, who scored twice, including a pair of power-play goals. Guenther’s first of the night came at 16:41 of the first period when he took a pass from Logan Cooley and snapped a shot from the top of the right face-off circle to give the Mammoth a 1-0 lead. About 40 seconds later, Michael Carcone doubled Utah’s advantage, scoring from low in the left circle at 17:21 after receiving a pass from Kevin Stenlund to make it 2-0.

After Nick Schmaltz increased the margin to 3-0 at 9:47 of the second period, Anders Lee extended the Mammoth lead to 4-0 at 13:06 with a tip in the slot. Carcone then added to Utah’s lead as well, finishing with a goal and an assist for the Mammoth. According to the league’s published game recap, Lee signed a three-year, $16.2 million contract with the Mammoth on July 1 following 14 previous NHL seasons with the New York Islanders, marking the start of his first season in Utah.

Utah’s power play continued to control the pace in the second half. Guenther scored his second power-play goal at 15:28 of the second period by redirecting a pass from Clayton Keller, pushing the score to 5-0. Daniil But capped the scoring with a 6-0 final at 12:50 of the third period, deflecting a Carcone shot to seal the shutout for Vejmelka and complete the Mammoth’s dominant performance.

For Chicago, Arvid Soderblom made 26 saves but the Blackhawks fell to 0-2-0. The loss also extended Chicago’s struggles on the opening stretch of a three-game road trip; the recap notes that after dropping their first two games of the trip, they also lost 5-2 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, leaving them searching for the first win early in the season.