Mammoth score four straight, pull away to defeat Sabres
Lee, Yamamoto, Marino each has goal, assist for Utah; Buffalo drops second in row
By Heather Engel
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
BUFFALO -- Anders Lee, Kailer Yamamoto and John Marino each had a goal and an assist for the Utah Mammoth in a 4-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Saturday.
Nick Schmaltz also scored, and Barrett Hayton had two assists for the Mammoth (4-2-0), who scored four straight goals after falling behind. Karel Vejmelka made 23 saves.
“It was a pretty complete game, to be honest,” Lee said. “I think we won the special teams. I thought the PK was great, had a ton of blocks. Obviously the power play was big again tonight, and then our 5-on-5 play was really strong. That team can create a lot. They’ve got a lot of offensive weapons, and I think for the most part we made good puck decisions.”
Tage Thompson scored, and Colten Ellis made 26 saves for the Sabres (2-3-0), who have lost two in a row with just one goal to show for it. They lost 4-0 to the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
“I just thought we had guys that were squeezing the stick,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “We had chances to put pucks to the net. I think everybody realizes that we didn’t put them (there). And I think sometimes when things aren’t going well, you defer to move in the pocket to make what you think is a better play. … We haven't been connected. We’re trying to find who we are.”
Thompson scored Buffalo’s first power-play goal of the season for a 1-0 lead at 8:00 of the first period. He carried the puck from the defensive zone to the bottom of the right face-off circle before putting a wrist shot short side past Vejmelka, who left an opening between his arm and the near post.
The Sabres entered the game 0-for-13 with the man-advantage.
“We got what I would call a pretty flukey power-play goal today,” Thompson. “That being said, I thought our power play was a little better tonight; moving the puck, getting pucks going to the net quicker. But yeah, there’s still a lot of work there.”
Yamamoto, playing his first game of the season, tied it 1-1 at 10:12. Hayton collected a rebound in the left circle and quickly passed to Yamamoto driving to the net for a tap-in from in front.
“Super happy for ‘Yammy’,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “He’s a great player. I’ve said it many times -- he’s an everyday player, and I think he deserves all the credit.”
Schmaltz received a feed across the crease from Logan Cooley on the power play and scored past Ellis at the left post to make it 2-1 at 15:23 of the second period. It was Schmaltz’s sixth goal in six games this season.
Lee pushed it to 3-1 at 17:24, scoring with a backhand in the low slot after Marino pushed the puck to him.
“I kept waiting for him to shoot it, but he made his moves around and a great poke to get it down to me,” Lee said. “Johnny plays with such poise. He's not a flashy guy, but he's always making a smart play defensively and breakouts. … That's just the kind of stuff that’s so big for our group.”
Marino increased the lead to 4-1 on the power play at 1:45 of the third period. He scored with a slap shot from the point that went through the five-hole.
“We’re five games in. Obviously we know we need to be better, but that being said, it’s hard to score in this league,” Thompson said. “Whether you’re fighting the puck or you don’t think you’re generating clean looks, that’s when you just have to get to the net, throw pucks and get bodies there and just get ugly. … Keep it simple instead of trying to look for the best play or find a better play.”
NOTES: Utah is 5-0-0 against Buffalo since debuting in the 2024-25 season. … Thompson’s goal was his 216th with the Sabres, moving him into a tie with Don Luce for 11th in franchise history.
