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Oilers nab loser point, but fall 6-5 to Mammoth in OT: Recap, Reaction and Highlights
Edmonton Oilers Utah Mammoth
Photo credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 8, 2026, 00:30 EDTUpdated: Apr 8, 2026, 00:39 EDT
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That was a pretty brutal game by the Edmonton Oilers.
On Tuesday evening, they began a three-game road trip, with their first stop in Salt Lake City to face the Utah Mammoth. After blowing three leads in the second half of the game, the Mammoth found a way to win in overtime. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
Less than two minutes into the game, JJ Peterka found the back of the net for the Mammoth thanks to a one-timer. That lead lasted all of 11 seconds, as Mattias Ekholm’s stretch pass created a two-on-one. Adam Henrique made a quick pass to Curtis Lazar, who slid it five-hole for his fourth of the season.
The Oilers scored on a power play about nine minutes into the game. And by the Oilers, I mean Connor McDavid, as he did Connor McDavid things to get around one defender, before freezing another and sliding it past the Mammoth’s netminder.
With about five minutes left in the game, the Oilers scored their third unanswered. On a rush, Kasperi Kapanen found Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the wide side, beating Karel Vejmelka blocker side to take a 3-1 lead.
The Oilers defence in the second half of the middle frame was suspect, to say the least. Midway through the second, Jason Dickinson handcuffed Evan Bouchard with a pass in the slot, with the Mammoth forcing the turnover. The puck came to Logan Cooley on the side of the net, and after a quick pass to Nick Schmaltz in the slot, the Mammoth were within one. Five minutes later, Cooley found twine to tie the game at three.
Again, the Oilers responded quickly. Less than a minute after the game-tying goal, Vasily Podkolzin received a pass (more of a shot) from Darnell Nurse when he was all alone in front of the Mammoth netminder. The Russian forward made a strong power forward move to get it to his backhand and score his 18th of the season.
The Oilers power play has been bad since Leon Draisaitl departed the lineup, let’s just call a spade a spade. Late in the second, they received a power play, gave up a chance, and Tristan Jarry flubbed a saveable shot to tie the game at four heading into the second intermission.
As expected, the high-scoring game got another goal early in the third period. Dickinson gained the zone and laid it off to Trent Frederic. The forward won a puck battle on the boards and found a trailing Colton Dach. Vejmelka saved Dach’s initial shot, but the St. Albert native was able to put it five-hole to restore the Oilers’ lead.
With seven minutes left in the game, the Mammoth found the game-tying goal. They were all over the Oilers following Dach’s goal, and Sean Durzi’s shot from the point was deflected past Jarry by Alexander Kerfoot, making it 5-5. The game stood that way until overtime.
In overtime, Matt Savoie took an early bad tripping penalty, giving the Mammoth two minutes to find the game-winner. It took just eight seconds to find that goal, as Clayton Keller beat Jarry high-glove for the 6-5 win.

TUNE INTO AFTER DARK

Takeaways…

Evan Bouchard may have picked up an assist in this game to give him 89 points on the season (the most for a defenceman), but this wasn’t his best game. There were a whole bunch of turnovers and sloppy plays in one of his infamous bad games that happen once every 20 games or so.
A few of those turnovers came on the power play, which once again struggled in this game. Sure, they may have scored on their first power play, but that was more because of a spectacular play by Connor McDavid. In fact, they gave up a shorthanded goal that blew their second lead of the game.
Tristan Jarry had another rough game, stopping 25 of 31 shots for an .806 save percentage. He made a few key stops in the third period, but it wasn’t nearly as good as his last two starts. That included a game against the Mammoth a couple of weeks ago.
That said, there were certainly some positives from this game. All four lines scored a goal in this game. In fact, nine of the Oilers’ 12 forwards picked up a point in this game, with the only forwards being held off the scoresheet being Savoie, Jack Roslovic, and Max Jones.
The line of Colton Dach, Jason Dickinson, and Trent Frederic is a fun one. They tend to hit everything with a pulse and do a good job of controlling play. It also seems that when another big hitter is on Frederic’s line, Frederic is more physical. The pair combined for a goal. Dickinson appeared to injure himself late in the second, but he returned.
Vasily Podkolzin’s impressive season continued, scoring his career-high 18th goal of the season. He’s found some chemistry alongside McDavid and Savoie, as the Russian forward now has 18 goals and 35 points in 78 games this season.
It was good to see Ryan Nugent-Hopkins get off the schneid, beating Karel Vejmelka with his patented blocker side shot. The Oilers are a better team with Curtis Lazar in the lineup as well. Overall, it was a pretty good offensive game for the Oilers.
Sign me up for a matchup between these two teams in the postseason. The two teams always seem to play high-octane hockey, with the Oilers usually coming out on top. The only way the Oilers get the Mammoth in the first round is if they win the division. Both the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights were in action on Tuesday.
Oilers are right back in action on Wednesday, as they fly to Northern California to play the San Jose Sharks for the final time this season. With the Pacific Division standings as close as they are, the Oilers need to pull out a win. It has a start time of 8 p.m. MT.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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