Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves as the Utah Mammoth held on for a 4-3 road win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday in Sunrise, Fla.
With the score tied 2-2 at 11:05 of the third period, Mikhail Sergachev put Utah ahead on a tip-in goal. Barrett Hayton’s empty-netter at the 19:04 mark seemingly sealed the game for the Mammoth, yet Carter Verhaeghe scored with 16 seconds remaining to give the Panthers some late hope.
Nothing came of it, and the red-hot Mammoth are now 9-1-1 in their last 11 games.
Sean Durzi had a goal and an assist for the Mammoth. Nick Schmaltz scored a short-handed goal, highlighting a strong 4-for-4 performance from Utah’s penalty-kill unit.
Vanecek stopped 25 of 28 shots for his third win in 14 games this season. The victory ended Vanecek’s 10-game (0-8-2) winless streak.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 of 19 shots for the Panthers, whose three-game winning streak was snapped.
Sandis Vilmanis recorded his first NHL goal in nine career games for Florida, and Cole Schwindt scored the Panthers’ other goal.
The Mammoth opened the scoring during a Florida power play 15:46 into the first period. Schmaltz grabbed a loose puck at his own blue line, raced down the ice, and scored on a breakaway for his 19th goal of the season and Utah’s fifth short-handed marker.
Florida equalized 2:52 into the second period, as Vilmanis scored from the slot after picking off Ian Cole’s ill-advised clearance pass. Just 54 seconds later, the Mammoth capitalized on a sloppy Panthers line change to spark a passing play that was finished by Durzi’s one-timer.
Strong forechecking led to the Panthers’ next goal at 9:55 of the second period. Florida’s pressure in Utah’s end eventually forced a loose puck that Schwindt deposited for his third goal of the season.
Panthers forward Anton Lundell didn’t return to the ice after taking a hard bodycheck into the boards from Jack McBain in the final minute of the second period.
–Field Level Media
