Vanecek ends personal 10-game slide, Mammoth edge Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves to end a personal 10-game losing streak for the Utah Mammoth, who defeated the Florida Panthers 4-3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday.

Vanecek, who was honored by the Panthers during the first period for being a part of their Stanley Cup championship team last season, got his first win since Oct. 26 (0-8-2 in previous 10 starts).

“It felt good. I haven’t gotten a win in a long time," Vanecek said. “This was the right time in the right rink to get the win.”

Mikhail Sergachev scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, and Sean Durzi had a goal and an assist for Utah (28-21-4), which was coming off a 2-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday but is 9-1-1 in its past 11 games.

“I liked our character, obviously," Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “Tied after two (periods) on a back-to-back in a hard environment, I liked the way we played in the third. ... I thought we did a good job. We played a good period. There is no play against them that is easy. Every play is under pressure, every play is contested. You need to stay consistent mentally for 60 minutes."

Sandis Vilmanis scored his first NHL goal for Florida (28-21-3), which had won three in a row. Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves.

“I thought our composure was good early," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “We gave up a short-handed goal, and those are tough, but we [tied it] and I was really pleased for Sandis Vilmanis. He and (Cole) Schwindt were good on the forecheck."

Nick Schmaltz gave Utah a 1-0 lead at 15:46 of the first period. He beat Bobrovsky with a backhand on a short-handed breakaway after Kevin Stenlund forced Uvis Balinskis into a turnover at the Mammoth's blue line.

Vilmanis, who was playing in his ninth NHL game, tied it 1-1 at 2:52 of the second period. Ian Cole sent a blind clearing pass from behind the net out toward the low slot, where Vilmanis scored glove side with a wrist shot.

“Every nice goal is nice to score, especially when it’s your first one in the NHL,” Vilmanis said. “Big thanks to the guys. They worked hard for me there behind the net and I got the puck in.”

Durzi responded 54 seconds later to put the Mammoth back in front 2-1 at 3:46. Michael Carcone's cross-ice pass for Jack McBain drew Bobrovsky out of position, and before the goaltender could get settled, McBain passed back to a wide-open Durzi for a one-timer from the slot.

“We have a couple former [Panthers] in our room, and they wanted this one pretty bad," Durzi said of Vanecek and defenseman Nate Schmidt, who was also honored with a video tribute in the first period. Stenlund won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2024.

“Obviously, [Vanecek] with a performance like that, he deserved it. He has been playing really good for us, and we really wanted to put on a good performance in front of him. He deserved it. It’s a big one.”

Schwindt tied it 2-2 at 9:55 of the second. After Utah failed on a clearing attempt at the right point, A.J. Greer poked the puck away from Durzi and had it wind up on the stick of Schwindt, who scored through traffic from the right circle.

Sergachev gave the Mammoth their third lead of the game, 3-2, at 11:05 of the third period when he redirected Durzi's shot from the right point.

Barrett Hayton then pushed the lead to 4-2 with an empty-net goal at 19:04.

“It’s always great when we play good hockey, and I think this night they played really well,” Vanecek said. “They helped me out, so I am really happy about it, that’s for sure. We played really good defense in trying to put the puck behind them. When they brought it to our net, we just battled, blocked shots, and worked hard in the zone."

Carter Verhaeghe cut it to 4-3 with 16 seconds remaining, scoring on a shot from the left circle through a screen with Bobrovsky on the bench for the extra attacker. However, the Panthers weren't able to get another shot on net after winning the ensuing face-off.

“They played hard after going on back-to-back nights, hung around, got the lead with some nice goals. We weren’t good enough,” Verhaeghe said. “We had lots of good chances. Vitek played an awesome game against us. It’s tough. We need the points, but we’re right back at it with a lot of games in a short amount of time. Hopefully we can bounce back quick.”

Florida center Anton Lundell did not play in the third period after sustaining an upper-body injury on a hit along the boards late in the second.

“I think he will be fine," Maurice said. “We’ll know tomorrow."

NOTES: Schmaltz is Utah’s fifth different player to score a short-handed goal this season. That is tied with the Anaheim Ducks, New York Islanders, and Vancouver Canucks for the most in the NHL. ... Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad left the game with 4:32 remaining after blocking a shot on a penalty kill. He said after the game that he was fine aside from the pain of the shot breaking his shin pad.