For the first time ever, the Utah Mammoth have lost a game in the state of New York.
The team went 6-0-0 there in their first two seasons, beating the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres every time they headed east. Ironically, that changed as soon as the Mammoth acquired star forwards from both the Rangers and the Islanders.
Sunday's visit to Madison Square Garden proved to be the Mammoth's first true test of the 2026-27 season. After missing the playoffs the last two seasons, the Rangers seem intent on changing their fortune — and they've looked like a team to beat thus far.
On Sunday they won 4-2.
"I thought the effort was there. We worked hard, we competed, we battled," said Andrew Peeke, who scored his first goal as a Mammoth in the game. "... Just a little sloppy on some execution things. We made (goaltender Karel Vejmelka) have to stand on his head."
The Mammoth's problem came from odd-man rushes. They allowed two breakaways in the first period, plus a 3-on-0, a 3-on-1 and a handful of 2-on-1s throughout the game. Vejmelka bailed his team out on most of them, but he could only do so much.
Head coach André Tourigny gave his diagnosis after the game.
"We we...