The Utah Mammoth have made the playoffs for the first time since the franchise moved to Utah — and for just the second time in 13 years if you add in the unfortunate history of the last era of the Arizona Coyotes.

That means there’s a lot of buzz for their playoff games; even more than there has been for the team’s already expensive regular season matchups.

Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights are playoff veterans. They won the Stanley Cup three years ago, and it’s been a relatively disappointing season that culminated in “only” winning the Pacific Division. Vibes are better since new head coach John Tortorella took over at the beginning of April, but not enough to create a fever pitch.

Which raises the question: If you’re a Mammoth fan wanting to catch a part of the action, would it be cheaper to just head to Vegas for a game? After all, it’s only about 500 miles away.

The short answer: It depends on both how you might get to Vegas and where you sit.

Here’s the breakdown.

Ticket prices

According to SeatGeek, the Mammoth’s official ticketing partner, tickets for games at the Delta Center are drastically more expensive than those at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. I looked at the cheapest currently available ticket, as of April 16, at both arenas, for all four of the guaranteed games of the series.

The cheapest ticket to get into Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena for Game 1 is $72, and Game 2 is $58. Meanwhile, Delta Center get-in prices exceed $140 — and remember, those seats can’t see both goals.

But the biggest differences come in the lower bowl’s premium seats, where ticket prices exceed $1,000 at the Delta Center, but come in just over $500 in Vegas.

Transportation and lodging

Flights from Salt Lake City to Vegas with such short notice can be expensive. On Frontier Airlines, a ticket sending you to Vegas on the day before Sunday’s Game 1, then taking you back to Salt Lake City on Monday, would cost you $334. Remember, that wouldn’t include potential baggage fees. Delta round-trip flights, meanwhile, are a whopping $637. (Check out my airfare story for more information on why Delta is so much more expensive.)

Driving, though, can be cheaper. AAA estimates that a trip to Las Vegas in a car getting 30 miles per gallon would cost $115 round trip in current (quite high) fuel costs. Of course, that doesn’t take into account wear and tear on your vehicle, but it could be worth considering.

Meanwhile, hotel rates at Vegas properties vary widely. The budget-friendly Circus Circus has rooms available for $150 per night, according to Priceline; meanwhile, an unnamed 5-star Strip hotel will give you a room for $250 per night with Priceline’s Express Deals feature. (Both prices include resort fees.)

Putting it together

So how much would each option cost? Here are the results:

Of course, this analysis doesn’t include a whole bunch of factors: food costs, intra-city travel costs, parking at the arena, concessions, and so forth.

But on the big-cost items, for most folks, it looks like it’s still cheaper to just stay here in Utah and pay the higher ticket prices. Only when you get up into the highest brackets does it make more sense to fly to Vegas and pay for their tickets.

That being said, it could be worth it for two groups: those for whom money is no object, or those die-hard Mammoth fans who will prioritize the best view of their team’s inaugural playoff push. And of course, fans can mix and match strategies. They don’t check if those on the glass drove or flew to Las Vegas, only that you were willing to pay the ticket price!

Still, that it’s as close as it is indicates the level of playoff fever here in Utah compared to our Vegas rivals. Mammoth fans are passionate — and willing to pay for it.