The win was extra sweet for several Mammoth players. Goaltender Vítek Vaněček and defenseman Nate Schmidt won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers last season while forward Kevin Stenlund won the previous year. It was Schmidt and Vaněček’s first visit back to Florida since their win, and Stenlund’s second trip back to Sunrise.
“We got a couple former guys in our room,” Durzi explained. “They wanted this one pretty bad and obviously, (Vaněček) with a performance like that, deserved it. He’s been playing really good for us. I know we really wanted to put together a good effort in front of him.”
“It’s always great when they play good hockey and I think this night they play really good,” Vaněček credited his teammates right back. “They helped me a lot and then so I’m really happy for that.”
Vaněček stopped 25 of the 28 shots he saw in the win. It was the netminder’s first game since Jan. 11, when he helped the Mammoth earn a point against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The win in Sunrise was extra special for Vaněček in his return to Florida, earning his first win since October 27.
“It (felt) good,” Vaněček smiled. “I didn’t get a win in a long time and then right time in the right rink (to) get the win.”
“I’m really happy for him,” Tourigny said of Vaněček. “He had a great game for us (previously) and we could not find a way to win. We could not give him enough offense. Tonight, we give him a little bit of offense. He got the two points on the back-to-back, huge win for (Vaněček). Huge win for us. That’s great, and he’s come back in here in Florida after winning the Cup so it’s a sweet one.”
Utah’s penalty kill was key in the win. Not only did they kill off all four penalties, Schmaltz scored the team’s fifth shorthanded goal of the season in the final five minutes of the first period. Stenlund’s pressure forced a turnover in the neutral zone and from there Schmaltz took over. The forward showed his speed as he drove in on a breakaway and beat Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Schmaltz’s 19th of the season is second most on the Mammoth and he has 15 points in his last 14 games (7G, 8A). Utah’s penalty kill has worked hard to stay structured while pressuring opponents for potential opportunities like Schmaltz’s breakaway.
“We have taken pride in that all year,” Durzi said. “…taking pride in building momentum from special teams is very important for us, whether we get one or we don’t, whether we kill it or we don’t, it’s how we’re managing momentum from there. Special teams are important, and momentum’s real, so it’s managing that.”
“(Penalty kill) was huge, made a key play,” Tourigny said postgame. “To win (in the NHL) you need your special teams. Your PK needs to be good, your power play to be good, you need your goaltending to be good. You need to work and do all the other things, but those are key situations or special situations, call it the way you want, and you need that to win consistently in this league no doubt.”
Florida got on the board 2:52 into the second period when Sandis Vilmanis scored his first NHL goal and tied the game, 1-1. However, the Mammoth responded less than a minute later when Durzi scored his fourth of the season. Credit to Jack McBain who saw the defenseman, and set up Durzi for the goal. Durzi has three points in the first three games of this road trip (1G, 2A) (per Mammoth PR).
Cole Schwindt tied the game at 2-2 halfway through the second period, a score which stood until 11 minutes into the third period. Mikhail Sergachev deflected in Durzi’s shot and put the Mammoth ahead, 3-2. Credit to Lawson Crouse who was causing chaos net front. Sergachev scored his eighth of the season and has five points (1G, 4A) in his last four games.
With 56 seconds left, Barrett Hayton’s empty net goal gave the Mammoth a two-goal cushion and helped the visitors secure two points. Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe scored with 16 seconds left in regulation; however, the Panthers couldn’t find the equalizer in the final seconds.
This was a strong win for the Mammoth against a tough Panthers team Utah is 2-1-0 through the first three games of the road trip.
“We’ve been playing pretty good hockey as of late,” Durzi reflected. “Knowing the kind of hockey we have to play has been critical for us and then doing it. We’ve talked so much, we’ve always said that we’re sick of the talk, but it’s just continuing to do it. Then you get two points and it’s move on to the next. That’s the hockey we got to play. It’s a long season; it’s staying even keel. Enjoying it for the guys tonight, and having fun with it and big win, but we wake up tomorrow, it’s recover, get ready for the next one, and that’s kind of how you (have to) manage an 82-game season. Can’t get high, can’t get low. It’s obviously big, but it’s that next game mentality that I think is critical for us.”
The Mammoth will face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday to wrap up a four-game road trip.
Additional Notes from Tonight
- Schmaltz’s shorthanded tally was the second of his NHL career. The other was on Mar. 26, 2024, against Columbus while Schmaltz was a member of the Arizona Coyotes (per Mammoth PR).
- Durzi has scored in both of the Mammoth’s road games against the Panthers. In addition, six of his eight goals with Utah have come on the road. He trails Mikhail Sergachev (9) for most of any defenseman (per Mammoth PR).
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