Mammoth's Points Streak Ends in Loss to Lightning

Utah looks to rebound against the Panthers after nine-game points streak snapped

Jan. 27, 2026 at 11:07am

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The Utah Mammoth's franchise-record nine-game points streak and five-game winning streak came to an end with a 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Despite a strong effort, the Mammoth struggled with untimely penalties and were unable to capitalize on the power play. The Mammoth now look to rebound against the Florida Panthers, who are coming off a successful 3-0-0 road trip.

Why it matters

The Mammoth's recent hot streak had elevated them to the top wild-card position in the Western Conference, so the loss to the Lightning is a setback in their playoff push. Meanwhile, the Panthers are still trying to climb into a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference race.

The details

The Mammoth gave a strong effort against the Lightning, with goaltender Karel Vejmelka making 27 saves. However, the team struggled with penalties, going 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Lightning converted on 2 of 4 power play opportunities. Utah's penalty kill has been an issue of late, going just 16-for-24 over the past seven games.

  • The Mammoth's nine-game points streak and five-game winning streak were both snapped in Monday's 2-0 loss to the Lightning.
  • The Mammoth will look to rebound on Tuesday when they visit the Florida Panthers.

The players

Andrei Vasilevskiy

The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender stopped all 28 shots he faced to earn the shutout win.

Karel Vejmelka

The Mammoth goaltender made 27 saves in the loss.

Andre Tourigny

The Mammoth head coach acknowledged his team took too many untimely penalties that cost them the game.

Vitek Vanecek

The former Panthers goalie will start for the Mammoth in the second game of the back-to-back.

Sergei Bobrovsky

The Panthers goaltender is expected to start against the Mammoth, despite having a modest 3.08 GAA and .875 save percentage this season.

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What they’re saying

“I think we played a really good game, especially at 5-on-5. ... Unfortunately, too many (untimely) penalties. Not just (that) we got in the box, but the timing of when we got in the box, and I think that cost us the game.”

— Andre Tourigny, Mammoth Head Coach

What’s next

The Mammoth will look to rebound against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, while the Panthers hope to extend their winning streak to four games.

The takeaway

The Mammoth's recent hot streak has been impressive, but their struggles with penalties and the power play proved costly in the loss to the Lightning. They'll need to clean up those areas if they want to get back on track against the Panthers and maintain their position in the tight Western Conference playoff race.