Mammoth vs. Devils: Nick Schmaltz's NHL-Best Fifth Goal Powers Utah Past New Jersey

Four games into the season, Nick Schmaltz has a goal in every one of them. He is playing like a guy who found the cheat code and has no plans to share it.

Schmaltz scored for the fifth time this season, most in the NHL, and set up two more, Mikhail Sergachev chipped in three assists, and the Utah Mammoth beat the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Tuesday night at Prudential Center. It was the first time the Mammoth have beaten New Jersey, after going 0-4 against the Devils in the franchise's previous two seasons, according to the AP.

A Power Play on Cruise Control

Utah wasted no time. Timo Meier went off for high-sticking 10 seconds into the game, and Clayton Keller wound up and blasted a one-timer from the right circle past Jake Allen at 1:57. It was the first of two power-play goals for Utah, which went 2 for 4 on the night and is 8 for 13 on the season, per the AP. That is not a power play. That is an ATM.

Schmaltz knows exactly who to thank. "I think when our power play is clicking like it has, I'm getting a ton of looks, so credit to the guys," he said.

Coach Andre Tourigny described the philosophy behind it. "We don't settle for possession," he said. "We attack and we have a lot of guys who can think quickly."

Evangelista Keeps New Jersey Close

The Devils had their own hero in Luke Evangelista. With Utah's MacKenzie Weegar and Lawson Crouse both in the box, Evangelista deflected a puck from the slot on a 5-on-3 at 12:23 of the first to tie it 1-1. Per NHL.com, it was his first goal with the Devils since being acquired from Nashville on Sept. 1.

Utah went back in front at 1:42 of the second, when Weegar banked a backhand off Allen's right pad. The secondary assist gave Sergachev 300 for his career, reached in his 634th NHL game, per the AP. Evangelista answered again at 6:31, getting his stick on a Meier feed at about waist height for his second of the night, and it was 2-2.

"At the end of the day, I'm just trying to contribute to wins for this team," Evangelista said.

The Turning Point

Meier went to the box for tripping at 10:50 of the second, and Utah's power play did what it has done all season. Schmaltz found a spot just outside the left post and beat Allen at 12:05 for a 3-2 lead, with Dylan Guenther and Sergachev assisting. Then, with 57 seconds left in the period, Crouse jammed home a loose puck at the left post for a 4-2 cushion, with Barrett Hayton and Schmaltz drawing the assists.

That two-goal swing in the second half of the middle period was the game. Schmaltz explained why Utah's man advantage keeps grinding teams down. "I think if you get a minute into a penalty kill, they get exhausted and then we start picking them apart," he said.

There was a scare late in the frame, though. Sergachev left the game with 29 seconds remaining in the second after being hit by a puck on a clearing attempt, and Tourigny had no update afterward, per NHL.com.

New Jersey's Last Push

The third period got chippy. Brenden Dillon and Jack McBain fought at 5:36, and Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler left with what NHL.com described as a lower-body injury. Jesper Boqvist, in his season debut, cut the deficit to 4-3 with a backhand from the slot at 9:49.

Utah slammed the door at 16:52. Schmaltz slid a centering pass down the slot to Vincent Trocheck, who finished for a 5-3 lead and his first goal with Utah since arriving in a trade from the Rangers on July 1, per NHL.com.

Devils coach Sheldon Keefe was not happy with the details. "We weren't clean coming out of our zone," he said. "The goals against, they weren't even structure-related but habit-related."

Who Delivered

Nick Schmaltz: A goal, two assists and a plus-1 in 19:47. Per NHL.com, he has seven points and a four-game goal streak to start the season.

Mikhail Sergachev: Three assists in 15:04 before leaving late in the second.

Clayton Keller: A goal and an assist. Per NHL.com, he has a point in all four games (one goal, six assists).

MacKenzie Weegar: A goal and six blocked shots in 20:17, though he also took three minor penalties.

Karel Vejmelka: 30 saves on 33 shots in his second straight start.

Luke Evangelista: Two goals for New Jersey.

Jake Allen: 26 saves on 31 shots.

Stats That Matter

• 8 for 13: Utah's power play this season, per the AP. It went 2 for 4 on Tuesday.
• 24-10: Utah's advantage in hits.
• 21-14: Utah's edge in blocked shots, which helped offset New Jersey's 33-31 lead in shots on goal.
• 5: Goals for Schmaltz, the most in the NHL, per the AP.
• 0-4: The Mammoth's record against the Devils in the franchise's previous two seasons, now history.

What It Means

Utah improves to 3-1-0 and bounces back from Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers. Schmaltz enjoyed ending the drought against New Jersey. "We hadn't beaten them since we moved to Utah, so it was nice to kind of break that curse," he said. The Mammoth visit Boston on Thursday.

New Jersey falls to 1-2-0 and has lost two straight, following a 6-0 loss to the Islanders on Saturday. Evangelista admitted the Devils were inconsistent. "At times, we executed our structure well and at times we didn't," he said. The Devils host Vancouver on Saturday.

Closing Take

Tourigny's scouting report on his top scorer was the best line of the night. "He can play with a left-hand stick right now and I will still take him on my team," he said. "He's so good everywhere on the ice." Five goals in four games suggests the rest of the league agrees. Until somebody figures out how to slow him down, Schmaltz and that Mammoth power play are appointment viewing.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.