Mammoth 4, Blue Jackets 1: Schmaltz Hits 500 on the Power Play

October 3, 2026 - Columbus - Nick Schmaltz already had one. At 14:13 of the third he scored another on the power play, and the Associated Press called it his 500th NHL point. Nationwide Arena had spent the night watching Utah's power play work.

The Utah Mammoth beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1. Utah is 2-0-0. Columbus is 1-1-0. Three of the four Utah goals came with a man advantage. Clayton Keller had two assists and, per the AP recap, reached 600 career points. He has 17 points in 17 career games against Columbus.

Sebastian Cossa stopped 17 of 18 in his Utah debut. The ESPN recap said 15 saves. The NHL box is 17 saves on 18 shots. That is the line we scored. The game opened a five-game trip and the first half of a back-to-back. Utah plays the Rangers on Sunday.

A point shot, then Schmaltz, then Johnson's answer

Mikhail Sergachev scored at 11:55 of the first from near the blue line on the power play. Dylan Guenther and Keller on the play. 1-0.

Schmaltz made it 2-0 at 16:31 from Keller and John Marino. Even strength. Two-goal lead after one. Utah had the puck. Columbus was already killing penalties.

Kent Johnson scored on a breakaway at 1:30 of the second from Matthew Knies. 2-1. Knies has four points in two games with Columbus, the AP recap said. That was the last Blue Jackets goal. Jet Greaves stopped 27 of 31.

Guenther's third power-play goal in two games

Guenther scored at 5:59 of the third on the power play from Logan Cooley and Sergachev. The AP recap called it Guenther's third power-play goal in Utah's first two games. 3-1.

Schmaltz's second, at 14:13, was also on the power play. Cooley and Guenther. 4-1. Eight shots for Schmaltz in 17:39. Guenther had a goal, two assists, and five shots in 16:51. Sergachev logged 22:01.

Zach Werenski played 31:43 for Columbus with five blocked shots and no points. Valeri Nichushkin had two shots. Attendance was 17,176. Columbus hosts Pittsburgh on Friday.

AthX Engine on a 4-1 power-play night

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) pays 4 per goal, 2.5 per assist, 0.6 per shot, and an extra 0.5 on a power-play goal. Schmaltz's two goals (one with the bonus), eight shots, and a block are 13.80. Guenther is 12.50. Sergachev is 9.40. Johnson is 7.50 in a loss. Keller is 7.20. Cooley is 5.60. Cossa's 17-save win is 8.60. He is not seeded on AthX player pages yet, so the name stays unlinked. Greaves is 6.00.

Utah's team line is 19.80, tied with Minnesota and Vancouver for fourth on the slate. Columbus floors at 0.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Schmaltz after a 500-point night and for a Utah power play that scored three times on the road. They are not the same number.

Track Schmaltz, Guenther, Sergachev, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com scoreboard, NHL gamecenter boxscore 2026020027. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from that verified box. Information only; not financial advice.*