Nhl Scores: Avalanche 4-2 Mammoth — Necas, Kelly Each Record Goal and Assist in Salt Lake City
The latest nhl scores entry from Salt Lake City saw the Colorado Avalanche post a 4-2 victory over the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center, with Martin Necas and Parker Kelly each recording a goal and an assist in a four-goal second period that decided the game.
Nhl Scores: Second-period surge turns the tide
Colorado erupted for four goals in the second period en route to the 4-2 result. Parker Kelly opened the scoring at 3: 26 of the second with a wrist shot past Karel Vejmelka’s blocker. Victor Olofsson made it 2-0 at 9: 13 on a wrist shot set up by Sam Malinski. Utah cut the lead to 2-1 at 10: 49 when Dylan Guenther converted a power-play one-timer off a Mikhail Sergachev pass. Brock Nelson added another Colorado goal to extend the lead; one account places that Nelson goal at 12: 20 of the second on a one-timer off a Gabriel Landeskog pass, while another account lists a Nelson slap shot that made it 3-1 with 7: 40 remaining in the period. Those four second-period goals proved decisive in the final score.
Key contributors and goaltending lines in nhl scores update
Martin Necas and Parker Kelly each finished with a goal and an assist. Brock Nelson, identified as a U. S. Olympian, reached the 30-goal mark for the season with his scoring play. Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves for Colorado, while Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 shots for Utah. Dylan Guenther scored twice for the Mammoth.
Roster notes: debuts, returns and Olympic absences
Radim Kulak made his debut for Colorado. Colorado was without Nathan MacKinnon in the lineup; MacKinnon had played in Team Canada’s 2-1 overtime loss to Team USA in the gold-medal game of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Sunday. Colorado’s coach said he expects MacKinnon to play against the Minnesota Wild at home on Thursday. With MacKinnon sitting out, Brock Nelson moved up to center the top line alongside Martin Necas and Gabriel Landeskog.
Utah’s lineup changes and player milestones
Logan Cooley returned to the Mammoth lineup after missing the previous 28 games with a lower-body injury and recorded an assist in the contest. Prior to his injury, Cooley had accumulated 23 points in Utah’s first 29 games and led the team with 14 goals. Guenther’s second goal featured an assist from Cooley.
Momentum, coach reactions and what it means for both clubs
Colorado improved to a record of 38-9-9 and has won three of its past four games. Utah fell despite having won two straight coming into this matchup; the Mammoth’s record was 30-24-4. Colorado’s coach described the effort as hard-working and committed to the team’s style of play while acknowledging there were sloppy stretches that yielded scoring chances both ways and saying there were no passengers in the effort. Utah’s coach said he liked neither the team’s grind nor its physicality, and that the Mammoth did not have the pace they should have on the forecheck and in their zone; he urged improvement for the next game. Utah’s Dylan Guenther characterized his effort as settling for a solid ‘B-game’ after time away and noted the team played better in the third period. Logan Cooley summarized his return as feeling good after a long journey and hard work, while noting the focus now shifts to how the team needs to be better.
Schedule implications from the nhl scores ledger
This game was the first for both teams following a three-week break for the Olympic competition. Colorado is scheduled to host Minnesota on Thursday night. Utah is scheduled to host Minnesota on Friday night. Details on times were not provided in the available information.
Notable moment: an apparent Colorado goal at 8: 37 of the first period when Brock Nelson appeared to tip a Brent Burns shot was overturned after Utah successfully challenged for goaltender interference.
