3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 6-3 Preseason Win Over Kings

Don’t blink. We’re now halfway through the preseason with two games remaining. The Utah Mammoth have won their first preseason game of the 2026-27 season. However, the better news is that unlike their game on Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche, there were quite a few standouts on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings.

In fact, it’s hard to say a player on the Mammoth didn’t have a good game. This was a great preseason showing for many individuals on the Mammoth. Here are some takeaways from the 6-3 win on Tuesday.

Daniil But Has His Standout Game

The best player on Tuesday was no doubt Daniil But. The forward knew this was going to be his best chance to impress the coaches and try to challenge for a spot on the Mammoth, being placed on the top line with Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller.

He did not disappoint, producing two points, including a power-play goal and an assist on Anders Lee’s game-winning goal. 

Taking care of business early. 💪

But makes it a 1-0 game. pic.twitter.com/9wmBDalvWk

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 23, 2026

You could just see the amount of confidence But had all game long. He wasn’t afraid to make risky passes or charge towards the net. He fit in well on the power play and made himself a net-front presence all game, directly helping the Mammoth score their first four goals. It’s the type of play you saw But have in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season and the rookie faceoff, but not last season in the NHL.

For But, every game he gets under his belt, he feels more comfortable. It was the same thing last season. After every call-up, But looked better and better.

“I feel way more comfortable with every game,” But said.

After a quiet game against the Avalanche, this was the game But needed. The net front presence is what really helped him. Every time the Mammoth scored a goal, But was somewhere near the front of Darcy Kuemper. It allowed him to create a screen and distract the goalie and the defense while a simple shot could get through. It also allowed him to tip pucks into the back of the net.

But also created a presence on the power play. He connected well with Schmaltz and Keller and made passes to create pressure and also forechecked hard in the Kings’ zone to win puck battles and keep the puck moving.

“I’m happy about the response of Booter,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I think Booter had a good night. Simpler, more direct. Did a good job with those guys. Went at the net. Those kinds of things.”

We’ll see how many more preseason games But gets. Again, the math is not in his favor, and that’s because of the Mammoth’s contract situation. They have 23 NHL players under contract, excluding But. That includes Liam O’Brien and Brandon Tanev, who continue to add nearly no value to the bottom six compared to the others around them.

Ultimately, though, But has really given the Mammoth something to think about going into the second half of the preseason and training camp. His play might’ve forced the Mammoth to think about trading out an NHL contract or two to allow him to make the opening night roster.

Bulls on Parade

This game was a lot more physical than the one against the Avalanche. It helped that the Kings rolled out their top four defensemen while the Mammoth had their top pairing and O’Brien in the lineup.

However, the player who really made his presence known was Andrew Peeke, who played his first preseason game with the Mammoth. The defenseman played like a pest, antagonizing his opponents with chirps and hits.

Peeke was always in the mix when there were scrums that popped up. It peaked when he made a good big hit on Adrian Kempe, which resulted in Quinton Byfield fighting him. He had a presence like what Mikhail Sergachev has sometimes when he’s going after opponents. Peeke might just be a fan favorite by the end of the season if he continues playing a similar game.

Speaking of physicality, Peeke wasn’t the only one throwing the body around. O’Brien had a fight with Samuel Helenius, and Lee also was in quite a few scrums. Not to mention, Logan Cooley showed emotion throughout parts of the game.

For the most part, the Mammoth kept their emotions under control. They played smart and used their physicality to their advantage rather than letting it control them. The Mammoth took the lead early on and never looked back and never loosened up. It’s something that Tourigny really liked.

“If you like what you’re doing, you’re doing it right,” Tourigny said. “I think you have to have fun. You have emotion. You have pride in what you’re doing, and I like the presence of the guys on the bench. I think they were into that game. They were focused. They play with urgency. I really liked our mindset.”

Strong Showing in Hollywood

As mentioned, there were quite a few notable players from Tuesday. Multiple names could be mentioned in this section, but let’s go over some of the big ones.

Zac Jones had a very good game. He played with confidence, which was more notable than maybe some others. He wasn’t afraid to go to the net as a defenseman and take shots. He had a great opportunity early in the first that could’ve easily been a goal. Just because he’s on a two-way contract doesn’t mean he can’t challenge for a spot. A reminder that this is a guy who was a point-per-game player in the AHL last season. He’s going to be a fun player to watch this season.

Yegor Borikov had another good game. In the last game, he showed he can score. In this game, he showed he can make good plays even if it doesn’t result in a goal. The play that sticks out was his moves along the boards, where he showed excellent puck control and skill. Borikov also made some good hits throughout the game. He continues to be an eye-catcher throughout the preseason. This is a guy who could ultimately thrive in the AHL this season and push for an NHL spot.

“There’s a lot of positives,” Tourigny said. “I think Borikov had another great night. He played solid.”

Tij Iginla played his first preseason game, and he looked solid. He walks away from this one with an assist and the shootout winner. The shootout goal in particular exhibited the sheer skill Iginla has. It’s a good start to the preseason for the forward. His second game should be a better showing for him.

Finally, we saw the first appearance of the new second line of Lee, Cooley, and Dylan Guenther. Lee scored two goals while the other two forwards registered an assist. The trio already connected well. A big thing Cooley and Guenther were missing on their line was physicality and hard forechecking. The former New York Islanders captain brings exactly that while keeping up with the two young forwards.

“They use their forecheck, their physicality,” Tourigny said. “I like that part of Andy and what he brings with that line. Cools and Gunner are really good off the rush. They need to get better on the forecheck and that stuff, and I think Anders has helped them a lot on that. He was heavy on the forecheck, and he was heavy down low cycling pucks and holding possession. I think that was a good fit.”

What a set up from Daniil But! 🔥

Anders Lee makes it 4-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/JcpuLyhYXo

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 23, 2026

There is one area of concern, and that is with the injury of Maveric Lamoureux. The defenseman left the game after Kenny Connors hit him up high. Lamoureux’s right arm was hanging as he left the ice. That is something you don’t want to see, especially after dealing with injuries to the area in the past.

Overall, it was a good showing for the Mammoth. With quite a few NHL regulars in the lineup, this was the performance you wanted to see. The power play looked good despite only scoring one goal. The chemistry looked good, with passes being completed. It was simply a strong preseason game for the team.

“I really liked our pace,” Tourigny said. “We were aggressive. We didn’t give them a chance to execute. I really like our thought process. I thought we had a lot of leadership in the lineup tonight. We had a good lineup. We have to be honest, but we played well as well. We could have been a little bit more stingy when we took the lead, but it’s training camp hockey, so it’s a lot to ask. We’ll review that, but I really like the mindset.”

With the new preseason rules, players who have played 100 NHL games can only appear in two NHL preseason games. The following players can only appear in one more preseason game for the Mammoth.

Keller, Schmaltz, Lee, Cooley, Guenther, O’Brien, Sergachev, Peeke, MacKenzie Weegar, Karel Vejmelka

The Mammoth will play their next preseason game on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights are 2-0-0 in the preseason, winning against the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in a shootout on Tuesday.