Mammoth 5, Devils 3: Schmaltz's Fifth Breaks the New Jersey Drought

October 6, 2026 - Newark - Nick Schmaltz already had the NHL lead in goals. At 12:05 of the second he snapped one from just outside the left post on the power play, and Utah had the 3-2 lead it would not give back. Prudential Center had never seen this franchise beat the Devils. Five tries. Zero wins. Not after Tuesday.

The Utah Mammoth beat the New Jersey Devils 5-3. Utah is 3-1-0. New Jersey is 1-2-0, two straight losses. The AP recap said Utah went 0-4 against New Jersey in the franchise's first two seasons in Utah. Shots were 33-31 New Jersey. Attendance was 15,146.

Schmaltz had a goal and two assists. The NHL recap put him at seven points and five goals, all four games with a goal. Mikhail Sergachev had three assists. Karel Vejmelka stopped 30 of 33. Jake Allen stopped 26 of 31.

Power play, 5-on-3, then Weegar off the pad

Clayton Keller opened it at 1:57 on the power play, a one-timer from the right circle from Sergachev and Logan Cooley. 1-0. Utah went 2-for-4 with the man advantage and is 8-for-13 on the season, both recaps said.

Luke Evangelista tied it at 12:23, a deflection from the slot on a 5-on-3 from Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. The NHL recap said it was Evangelista's first goal with New Jersey after a Sept. 1 trade from Nashville.

MacKenzie Weegar put Utah back up at 1:42 of the second, banking one off Allen's right pad from Anders Lee and Sergachev. The AP recap said that was Sergachev's 300th career assist, in his 634th NHL game. Evangelista tied it again at 6:31, another waist-high deflection from Timo Meier. 2-2.

Schmaltz's power-play snap at 12:05 made it 3-2 from Dylan Guenther and Sergachev. Lawson Crouse cleaned up a loose puck at 19:03 from Barrett Hayton and Schmaltz. 4-2 after two.

Trocheck's first in Utah, two injuries

Sergachev left with 29 seconds left in the second. The NHL recap said a clearing attempt by Weegar hit him in the left ear. Coach Andre Tourigny had no update. Jonas Siegenthaler left at 3:50 of the third with a lower-body injury after an awkward fall. Coach Sheldon Keefe had no update.

Jesper Boqvist scored on a backhand from the slot at 9:49 in his season debut from Dougie Hamilton. Declan Chisholm had the other assist and is not seeded. 4-3. Vincent Trocheck finished it at 16:52 off a centering pass from Schmaltz, his first goal with Utah after the July trade from the Rangers. 5-3.

Keefe told NHL.com the goals against were habit-related: stopping the puck, not exposing ice, not getting beat back to the net. Schmaltz, on finally beating New Jersey: "nice to kind of break that curse."

Utah visits Boston on Thursday. New Jersey hosts Vancouver on Saturday.

AthX Engine on an 8-for-13 power play

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Schmaltz at 11.90 and Vejmelka at 11.40 (win, 30 saves, three goals against). Evangelista is 10.20. Keller is 8.80. Sergachev is 8.70. Weegar is 7.30. Meier is 7.30. Allen is 4.40 in the loss.

Utah's team line is 20.00. New Jersey's regulation loss is 1.60.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Mammoth power play that is 8-for-13, and for a Devils club that got two from Evangelista and still dropped its second straight. They are not the same number.

Track Schmaltz, Keller, Vejmelka, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020047. Information only; not financial advice.*