Guenther scores twice as Mammoth shut out Blackhawks in season opener.
SALT LAKE CITY — Dylan Guenther scored twice on the power play, and Karel Vejmelka stopped all 15 shots he faced as the Utah Mammoth opened the season with a 6-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. Clayton Keller recorded assists on both of Guenther’s power-play goals. Michael Carcone, Nick Schmaltz, Anders Lee and Daniil But also scored for Utah, which won its season opener against Chicago for the second time in three seasons. Chicago struggled to generate offense throughout the game, managing just nine shots on goal through the first two periods. Arvid Soderblom made 26 saves for the Blackhawks, who dropped their second consecutive game after a 5-2 loss to Vegas on Tuesday. Guenther put Utah on the board with a power-play goal with 3:19 remaining in the first period. Carcone added another goal just 40 seconds later, giving the Mammoth a 2-0 advantage. Schmaltz extended Utah’s lead to three goals at 9:46 of the second period. He scored from close range after the puck deflected off Soderblom’s skate. Lee made it 4-0 with 6:54 left in the second, finishing a play in front of the net off a pass from Andrew Peeke.
Guenther then converted another power-play opportunity with 4:32 remaining in the period, giving him two goals on the night and Utah a 5-0 lead. But added the final goal with 7:10 left in the third period to complete the shutout victory.
The Blackhawks will visit Buffalo on Saturday night. Utah will travel to Columbus for its next game Saturday.
