New York Rangers defeat Utah Mammoth 4-2, handing Utah first loss of season

Utah fell 4-2 at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 4, its first defeat ever in New York state, as a Will Cuylle boarding hit on Dylan Guenther sparked a third-period fight.

The New York Rangers defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-2 on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Madison Square Garden, giving Utah its first loss of the 2026-27 season. It was also the first defeat the Mammoth have ever taken in the state of New York. The club had gone 6-0-0 there across its first two campaigns, winning every visit to face the Rangers, the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres.

That record fell only after Utah acquired star forwards from both New York teams, the Rangers and the Islanders. The game at Madison Square Garden served as an early measuring stick for the Mammoth, while the Rangers, playoff absentees in each of the past two seasons, have opened the new season in impressive form.

Andrew Peeke scored his first goal since joining Utah and said the problem was execution, not compete level. "I thought the effort was there. We worked hard, we competed, we battled," Peeke said. "Just a little sloppy on some execution things." He noted the mistakes repeatedly forced goaltender Karel Vejmelka to rescue the Mammoth.

Odd-man rushes did the damage. Utah gave up two breakaways in the first period alone and, across the game, also allowed a 3-on-0, a 3-on-1 and a string of 2-on-1 situations. Vejmelka denied most of them, but the volume eventually proved overwhelming.

Head coach André Tourigny's postgame review was blunt. "We were impatient. We were forcing plays," he said. "In this league, there's no forgiveness." He stressed that reloading is "one of our strengths" and that failing to do it properly "will cost us."

The hit that dominated postgame discussion came from Rangers forward Will Cuylle, who sent Mammoth star Dylan Guenther into the boards. Guenther managed to rotate his body just before impact, taking the force on his shoulder rather than his head, and he was not injured. The worst-case scenario for such plays is grim: in December 2011, Minnesota high school player Jack Jablonski was left quadriplegic after a hit from behind sent him crashing head-first into the boards.

Boarding can draw anything from a two-minute minor to a match penalty, and the league says the rulebook gives referees "an enormous amount of judgement" in making the call. The rulebook places responsibility on the player delivering a check to avoid contact when an opponent is vulnerable, though referees weigh mitigating factors such as the severity of the impact, injury to the head or face, whether the check could have been avoided and whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position. On Sunday, Cuylle was assessed only a minor, with the relevant considerations being that Guenther was unhurt and slightly crouched when the check began.

Jack McBain, who has roomed with Guenther the past two seasons, went after Cuylle at his first opportunity and fought him in the third period, and Cuylle held his own in the exchange. "Obviously they thought it was a dirty hit, so, I guess, just answer the bell," Cuylle said. "They've got to stand up for their guys. That's hockey. Happy to do it."