The Utah Mammoth got the result they wanted and not much else in a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, a game that was messy, tight and far closer than it should have been.
Sebastian Cossa picked up his first home win at the Delta Center, and he had to work for it. Utah built a lead, then watched Pittsburgh claw back late and make the finish uncomfortable. Cossa came through with several key stops, including a huge pad save on Sidney Crosby with seconds left, after the Mammoth failed to bury the empty net and put the game away.
“We needed him, he was great tonight, and that's the most important part for a young goalie,” Nate Schmidt said.
Cossa said the night felt like another step forward.
“I’m feeling a lot better every day,” Cossa said. “First home game for me, so that's a new experience.
Every game, I’m feeling better and better, and every day I’m feeling better. I’m just continuing to grow, and I’m feeling good right now.”
Utah’s special teams told a split story. The power play stayed red-hot, going 1 for 2 and pushing its league-best mark to 36.1% after Nick Schmaltz finished off a slick chance in front of Artūrs Šilovs. Schmaltz showed patience, moving forehand to force the goalie to commit before tucking the puck in on his backhand.
The penalty kill, though, kept dragging the team down. Pittsburgh scored twice on the man advantage, and Utah’s PK has now fallen to fifth-worst in the league at 68.8%.
“The second one was way too high,” head coach André Tourigny said. “That's too bad because that was pre-scouted.
That was addressed after the first period. We knew that was a hole, and we tried to prevent it and explain how to be lower, and we gave up that easy walk-in.
That's a breakdown. That should not have happened.”
Tourigny also pointed to Utah’s habits with the lead, especially after the team generated 16 shots in the first period but only 13 over the final two frames.
“I wish we'd keep putting pucks behind in the third period and go grind them deep in their zone, and we try to make more plays with the lead,” Tourigny said. “It's a little bit a part of the game we could have done a little bit better.”
Even with the late wobble, Utah got important production across the lineup. Schmidt scored his first goal of the season on a blast from the blue line and also picked up an assist on Kailer Yamamoto’s goal, which gave Yamamoto five points in five games. Schmidt and Mikhail Sergachev finished plus-two.
John Marino was out with an upper-body injury, so Nick DeSimone stepped in and Andrew Peeke moved up to the second pair with Schmidt. Schmidt said the defense adapted well.
“We were playing with a little bit of everybody tonight, and that's just the coaches having a lot of trust in all of our guys, and I think that's an amazing attribute for our defense core to be able to have that,” Schmidt said. “If you feel like you have to be married to a certain pair or two, it locks up your matchups a little bit.”
Kevin Stenlund also made a major impact. He scored his first goal of the season and added an assist on Schmidt’s tally, while Daniil But chipped in with an assist and later got used in the final two minutes to help protect the lead.
“Helluva performance from our fourth line,” Tourigny said. “Stenny, Booter, and Bainer played rock-solid, physical, simple, and effective. Really happy about their game.”
The Penguins entered on a three-game losing streak, and with Crosby and Erik Karlsson struggling offensively, Utah had chances to make this one easier. Instead, the Mammoth let Pittsburgh hang around until the final horn.
Still, the points counted, and the mood in the room reflected that.
“The guys played really well tonight,” Cossa said. “It wasn't the prettiest of games, but at the end of the day, we got the win. That's the most important thing.”
Utah now heads out for a one-game road trip to face the Seattle Kraken, who are 5-3-1 and coming off an 8-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. Seattle plays the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday before Utah arrives.
In Other News...
Former Coyotes Pick Is Finally Getting The Chance Arizona Never Could
The latest bit of movement involving Tucson has a familiar name at the center of it. Utah recalled defenseman Artem Duda from the Roadrunners, giving the blue-liner a chance to make his NHL debut after carving out a solid run in the AHL. For those who followed the Coyotes final drafts before the franchise relocation, Duda is one of the prospects who once passed through Arizonas pipeline and kept developing after the organization moved on.
There is a particular kind of what-if attached to players like Duda, especially when they start getting real traction elsewhere. Arizona selected him in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, but the first NHL call-up of his career is happening under a different banner, with Utah and Tucson now connected in a new way. It also arrives as the first recall of a Roadrunner to the NHL this season, a small but meaningful marker for a prospect whose path has taken a long time to reach this point. [Read more 🡒]
Coyotes Draft Pick Suddenly Has A Chance To Change His Outlook
Artem Dudas strong stretch with Tucson has earned him a real opening at the NHL level, and the timing could hardly be better for a defenseman still working his way back from a knee injury. Utah called him up from its AHL affiliate, giving the young blueliner his first taste of NHL camp life after he has steadily settled in with the Roadrunners.
The recall comes with the Mammoth dealing with a rash of injuries, so the move has the feel of added depth as much as added opportunity. Whether Duda gets into the upcoming game is still unsettled, but for a player trying to shift the conversation around his development, even being part of the conversation is a meaningful step. [Read more 🡒]
Coyotes Could Get Pulled Into A Much Bigger Goalie Shakeup
A run of goaltender injuries has left the Rangers scrambling, with Joonas Korpisalo and Igor Shesterkin both sidelined and Dylan Garand suddenly pushed into the starting job. As New York looks for help, the market around it has started to widen, and teams with established netminders are getting dragged into the conversation whether they asked to or not.
Karel Vejmelka is among the names being mentioned as a possible fit, which is enough to make this a storyline worth watching from Arizonas side. The ripple effect gets even more interesting because the Rangers are not just searching for a stopgap, they are being linked to a much bigger goalie shakeup that could involve several clubs, and the Coyotes could wind up in the middle of it if those talks gain real traction. [Read more 🡒]