Mitch Marner scores twice to help
Golden Knights eliminate Mammoth with Game 6 win
[May 02, 2026]
By JOHN COON
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mitch Marner had two goals and an assist,
Carter Hart made 21 saves and Vegas Golden Knights beat the Utah
Mammoth 5-1 on Friday night in Game 6 to wrap up the first-round
series.
Vegas will face Anaheim in the second round. The Ducks advanced
Thursday night with a 5-2 home victory over Edmonton in Game 6.
The Golden Knights have surged since John Tortorella took over as
coach from the fired Bruce Cassidy, closing the regular season 7-0-1
after the change. They ripped off three straight wins after Utah
took a 2-1 series lead.
“This is what I hoped for,” Marner said. “There’s a lot more work to
keep going.”
Marner had two goals and five assists in the series. Friday was the
first multi-goal playoff game for the Vegas forward since April 20,
2023, against Tampa Bay.
“It was his best game of the series. He just looked comfortable,”
Tortorella said.
Brett Howden opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the series,
all coming over the last three games. Colton Sissons added a
third-period goal for Vegas soon after Utah’s Kailer Yamamoto cut it
to 2-1. Cole Smith capped the scoring with an empty-netter on the
heels of Marner converting a power play for his second goal.
“We’ve been here before,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “We don’t
have the panic. Maybe some teams do. We can calm ourselves pretty
quickly.”
Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves for Utah. The Mammoth led in the third
period in each of the first five games before trailing the whole way
in Game 6.
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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) and right wing
Mitch Marner (93) celebrate a goal against the Utah Mammoth during
the second period of Game 6 in the first round of an NHL hockey
Stanley Cup playoff series, Friday, May 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City.
(AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
“I didn’t have that in my bingo card,” Utah coach
Andre Tourigny said. “I was really confident we would go to Vegas
tomorrow.”
Howden scored with 4:58 left in the first period. Marner’s shot went
to the right of the goal and rebounded out front for Howden to put a
wrist shot home.
On Wednesday night in Game 5, Howden scored the winner in the Golden
Knights’ 5-4 double-overtime victory. Vegas also won 5-4 in overtime
in Game 4 after getting two goals from him in regulation.
Marner made it 2-0 with 45 seconds left in the second after Vegas
had the puck in Utah’s end for more than two minutes. He blasted a
slap shot from the top of the right circle off Ian Cole’s knee and
into the net.
“I’ve had a couple opportunities in that same area that I had just
missed on,” Marner said. “That’s why I just decided to quickly wind
one up and see if I could get a clapper through.”
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