​Utah Mammoth’s Clayton Keller (9) celebrates a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Codie McLachlan
Heading into Thursday night, the Edmonton Oilers had escaped every game so far this season with at least a point. Their lone loss had come in overtime.That streak is over, and the Utah Mammoth are responsible for it.It shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Mammoth began the season on an excellent foot. At the same time, though, they had never won a game at Rogers Place and they had never beaten the Oilers in regulation.The Mammoth seem to have built the team that the Oilers never could.From 2010 to 2015, Edmonton had four first overall picks, including three in a row. That’s how the Oilers got their ultra-superstar, Connor McDavid. They were fortunate to land Leon Draisaitl, arguably a top 3-5 player in the world, with a third overall pick in the same window.Ever since then, all of the Oilers’ offense has run through those two players. No matter what they do, they’ve struggled to get sustained, meaningful offense out of anyone that doesn’t play on a line with one or both of those guys.The Mammoth, on the other hand, have never picked first in a draft (including as the Arizona Coyotes, whose draft history directly affects Utah despite the team’s official designation as a new franchise). They don’t have anyone who perennially contends for a scoring title. They score by committee.Every skater who has played for the Mammoth this season has at least one point, and the only one without multiple points is defenseman Nate Schmidt.They have two lines that are fully capable of producing first-line offense, so when one has an off game, the team isn’t left out to dry. And if, knock on wood, an injury befalls a top player, it shouldn’t impact Utah’s ability to score because there are so many others with that capability.The roster isn’t without its imperfections, but with the team now holding the second best record in the entire NHL, those aren’t at the front of mind at this time. The Mammoth are rollin’.“Obviously, they’re an unbelievable team over there, some of the best players in the world, but when we have a showing like that, playing committed hockey, we can beat anyone in this league,” said Logan Cooley, who had perhaps his best game of the season Thursday.Fixing what was brokenIt’s still early, but the Mammoth seem to have remedied their two biggest issues, the ones that cost them their playoff series last spring.First was the power play. It’s well-documented that Utah both began and ended last season