Last-minute goal strips Mammoth of win

November continues to be a struggle for the Utah Mammoth, who lost in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday their second consecutive loss in overtime. What’s going wrong for the Mammoth, and how can they get out of their slump? Here are a few possible answers. Quick catchup Anaheim Ducks: 3 Utah Mammoth: 2 The Mammoth were five seconds away from winning this one. Like the Mammoth, the Ducks are highly regarded for their young stars, but don’t overlook Troy Terry, who’s still in the prime of his career. In a game that was all but over, Terry found a loose puck in the crease and jammed it home with five seconds left to tie it up. That came after the Mammoth managed to spring a lead on the previously red-hot Ducks, who, like the Mammoth, came into the game looking to get back to their winning ways after a seven-game win streak was followed by a cold spell. The Mammoth controlled the puck the majority of overtime, but all it takes is one scoring chance to win. Olen Zellweger got one scoring chance, and he capitalized on it, sealing the game for the home team. “It was a tight hockey game,” said Mammoth captain Clayton Keller afterward. “Lot of back-and-forths, a couple mistakes at the end. We’ll learn from it.” Takeaways Two goals will almost never cut it X user @Mammer801 pointed out that two goals is simply not enough to get the job done in most circumstances. In Utah’s case this season, that’s exactly right. In games where the Mammoth have scored more than three goals, they’re 8-2. When they’ve scored two or fewer, they’re 1-7. Their problem in Monday’s game stemmed from scoring chances. They managed just 18 shots on net, including just one in the first period. They also controlled a mere 40% of the scoring chances in the game and only 37. 5% of the high-danger scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick’s data. Yes, they were only five seconds away from stealing a win despite all this, but this is the sixth time in the last eight games that they’ve failed to score more than twice. It’s not a sustainable way to win. Guenther’s got it back Ahead of the season, Dylan Guenther mentioned that he wanted to start scoring from different areas of the ice. Up to that point, a large portion of his goals came the same way: one-timers from the left circle. While it’s good to be well-rounded, his focus on scoring diverse goals seemed to draw him away from the move that got him there in the first place. He went 11 games without scoring from his spot, but he now has goals from there in back-to-back contests. Also of note is that Guenther has scored during every relatives trip the Mammoth have ever had. His mother, Nadine, was in attendance during the mentors trip in Denver last year and she was in Anaheim for the mothers trip on Monday. Frozen Veggies Goaltender Karel Vejmelka has had a tough month. Statistically, Monday’s game was fine not great, but not the worst but stylistically, there’s a concerning pattern forming. All three of the Ducks’ goals happened because Vejmelka had over-committed to the shooter. It was also the problem on the New York Islanders’ second goal on Friday. There are a number of possible reasons for that tendency, but the one that might make the most sense is overcompensation trying to do too much, essentially. Goaltending is as much about the mental toughness as it is about physical ability. Vejmelka knows he needs to be better, and perhaps he’s panicking a little bit. If that is the case, he has to get back to the basics just like Guenther with his one-timers. Do the things that got you there in the first place. Keep it simple. Goal of the game Logan Cooley’s one-timer The Mammoth’s two goals were very similar, so either one could fit here. This goal ended Cooley’s seven-game drought. We’ll see if it gives him the confidence to pick up where he left off. Remember, he led the league in goals just a couple weeks ago.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/last-minute-goal-strips-mammoth-070847212.html