Guenther breaks tie in 3rd, Mammoth edge Jets for 7th straight win

WINNIPEG -- Dylan Guenther broke a tie with 5:36 remaining in the third period, lifting the Utah Mammoth to their seventh straight win, 3-2 against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Sunday.

After JJ Peterka won a race to the puck in Winnipeg's zone, Logan Cooley sent a backhand pass to Guenther, who scored on a one-timer from the slot.

“I think one at a time, honestly. We’re not getting too high,” Guenther said. “I think you can sense it in the room. In the past we were a little more emotional in a different way. I think we’re a little more on an even keel this year.”

Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said of Guenther’s goal: “Kind of just a weird series of events, one-timer with a pretty dangerous guy in the slot. We really liked our first [period], didn't love our second, and then the third, I think it was kind of there for the taking and they found a way to get that one and that was it.”

Four of Guenther’s five goals this season are game-winning goals, which is tied with Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis for the most in the NHL.

“It’s huge. They’re kind of an in-your-face team, a little bit heavier than us, and we’re on a back-to-back (Utah won 6-2 at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday),” Guenther said. “So, I think just adapting, just managing the game a little bit better and not giving them anything, and then just capitalizing when we get our opportunities.”

Mikhail Sergachev and Michael Carcone also scored, and Vitek Vanecek made 28 saves for the Mammoth (8-2-0).

“Good performance by [Vanecek],” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “First, he made a key save at key moments, as well our fourth line I think gave us a lot of energy. I said before we're a four-line team, and I think they provide a lot of energy, they create good offense. They came up with a big goal, so I'm really proud of [Kevin Stenlund’s] line.”

Dylan DeMelo and Mark Scheifele scored, and Morrissey had two assists for the Jets (6-3-0), who have lost two of three after winning five straight. Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves.

“They came as advertised,” DeMelo said. “We knew that they have been playing really good hockey. A good up-and-coming team and every year they seem to get better and better. It was a tight game. It felt like we had some self-inflicted wounds that ended up costing us in the end.”

DeMelo gave the Jets a 1-0 lead just 45 seconds into the second period, scoring on a snap shot through traffic from above the circle.

“Second period they [have] a quick score, and then of course you're trying to be quiet in the net, but the guys played amazing," Vanecek said. "You know, back-to-back it's always, always a hard game, but [my teammates] played amazing.”

Sergachev tied it 1-1 at 10:03, scoring on the power play with a wrist shot following a face-off win by Nick Schmaltz.

“The first period was perfect, that’s the type of game you have to play,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said. “The second period was the exact opposite. Self-inflicted. We just decided that maybe that was too much hard work and we didn’t think we could do it for the second period. It’s a broken record. We keep seeing this in the second period and we keep talking about these second periods. All it does, especially in our building, is give the opposition momentum. Mistakes happen. On the second goal, we got on the wrong side of people, a terrible line change, back of the net.”

Carcone put Utah ahead 2-1 at 11:07, finishing a setup from Kailer Yamamoto with a one-timer on a 2-on-1 rush.

It was the first point of the season for Yamamoto, who was a healthy scratch the previous five games.

“Everyone on this team plays a huge role, and guys like Yamamoto are really good offensively and it helps a ton,” Guenther said. “We’ve been scoring a lot lately and getting contributions from a lot of guys.”

Scheifele tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 15:09 of the second, scoring with a wrist shot along the ice from the right circle.

“They have a good team,” Vanecek said. “We just have to play with them [and] be above their players, and then we score three and they score two, so that's the key.”

NOTES: Schmaltz has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 10 games this season, which is tied with Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights for the NHL lead. … Cooley has eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past three games.