Nick Schmaltz's hat trick propels Mammoth past Canucks

Nick Schmaltz scored three goals and added an assist as the Utah Mammoth skated to a 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday in Salt Lake City.

Schmaltz netted two goals in the first period and one in the third enroute for his third career hat trick and his sixth game with four-plus-points. His career high is a seven-point game against the Ottawa Senators on March 5, 2022.

Lawson Crouse had a goal and an assist, JJ Peterka and Mikhail Sergachev scored goals and John Marino notched three assists for the Mammoth, who have won seven of their past 10 games. Utah's Clayton Keller added two assists while Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves.

Teddy Blueger and Liam Ohgren scored and Conor Garland chipped in two assists for the Canucks, who have lost seven straight on the road. Kevin Lankinen stopped 14 of 20 shots.

The Canucks, in a 2-13-3 rut, are last in the league with 42 points and still looking for their first road win of 2026.

Schmaltz opened the scoring with a give-and-go play in the first period. He got the Mammoth on the board at 3:34, dishing the puck over to Marino then taking a return pass through traffic and scoring his 20th of the season from a sharp angle.

Ohgren tied it 1-1 at 7:04 of the first. Garland carried the puck over the blue line and slipped a pass between two Utah defenders to a streaking Ohgren, who snapped a shot over Vejmelka's glove hand.

Schmaltz scored his second goal just 33 seconds later to make it 2-1. He won a faceoff in the Vancouver zone back to Sean Durzi. Schmaltz then glided backwards into the slot, took a return feed and hammered home a one-timer.

Sergachev scored a power-play goal at 8:45 of the second to stake Utah to a 3-1 lead.

Crouse was credited with the Mammoth's fourth goal at 12:16 of the second off a deflection. Peterka scored with four minutes left in the middle frame to make it 5-1, and the rout was on.

Blueger scored from the slot at 18:49 of the second to cut the Canucks' deficit to three goals, but Schmaltz completed his hat trick by finishing off a 2-on-1 with Clayton Keller at 12:22 of the third.

--Field Level Media