Marner lays playoff demons to rest as Vegas beats Utah
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth, 5-1, to eliminate them in six games and advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
May 1, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) celebrates a goal against the Utah Mammoth during the second period in game six of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Delta Center. SALT LAKE CITY -- On July 1, 2025, the future of the Vegas Golden Knights changed forever. On that day, a deal was made official that saw Mitch Marner head to Vegas from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The trade, as well as the eight-year contract that quickly followed suit, was the sign that the Golden Knights were all in on competing for a Stanley Cup both now and in the immediate future. However, Marner was hounded by years of playoff runs gone awry in Toronto, with Leafs fans often pointing their vitriol towards him. With Vegas, the pressure might not have been as intense as in the hockey Mecca, but expectations were still high.
In Game Six against the Utah Mammoth, Marner would be the one to answer the call, leading the Golden Knights to the second round with a 5-1 victory. The Golden Knights made their living in Game Five scoring in the final minutes of all three periods, and they did so again in the first of this game. In a moment of déjà vu from Utah’s first goal in the last game, Brett Howden took advantage of a shot that caromed off the boards and fired it past an out-of-position Karel Vejmelka to fire the opening salvo of Game Six.
Howden continued his personal hot streak, with the opening goal his fourth in the last three games. With less than a minute to go in the second period, Marner made good on another tremendous possession from his line with Howden and Mark Stone. Securing the puck, Marner would find a lane and fire a slapshot in the top corner past Vejmelka, giving the Golden Knights some cushion heading into the final intermission.