After the Canadiens took a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Zachary Bolduc (PPG) and Montreal Captain Nick Suzuki, the Mammoth pushed back in the second period with three goals in 4:09.
The first goal was a power-play goal just shy of the halfway mark. The top power play unit moved the puck quickly and Captain Clayton Keller’s feed set up Hayton to capitalize. Keller and Mikhail Sergachev assisted on Hayton’s third goal of the season. It was the Mammoth’s first 5-on-4 powerplay tally since Oct. 26 (Mammoth PR).
Two minutes later, Dylan Guenther set up Yamamoto for his third tally of the year. Guenther was poised with the puck, saw Yamamoto, and dodged pressure to set up his linemate. Yamamoto’s shot beat Montreal’s Jakub Dobes. Less than two minutes later, Michael Carcone gave the Mammoth its first lead of the game.
After multiple cutbacks, Carcone’s initial wraparound chance was stopped. However, the forward stuck with it and converted on his own rebound. Carcone’s fourth goal of the year gave Utah its first lead of the night.
Montreal responded in the third period with another pair of goals, this time 1:27 apart. After Juraj Slafkovsky’s power play goal was called back, Suzuki scored his second of the night on the same power play opportunity. His seventh goal of the season tied the game, 3-3. Less than a minute and a half later, Ivan Demidov’s fifth of the season gave the Canadiens a 4-3 lead. Despite a push late in the third period, Utah was unable to find the equalizer and fell 4-3.
Utah gained back a key piece of their defense as Sean Durzi played his first game since Oct. 11. Durzi was paired up with Ian Cole initially before shifting to play with Sergachev. The defenseman played meaningful minutes, and even had special teams time on the penalty kill. Durzi played 21:34, the second highest ice time out of all Mammoth defenseman, and had three blocked shots. Durzi reflected on being back in the lineup after his first game.
“Watching the guys all year, you kind of see how they go through the ups and downs,” Durzi explained. “You try to be in all the meetings you can be, but when I’m rehabbing, they’re on the road and can’t see it all. You try to see the guy’s ways in warm-ups, things like that. Routines change so much throughout the year. Just wanted to contribute, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice, bring some energy. Do something.”
“He played good,” Tourigny assessed. “He made good plays with the puck, he was focused, he was urgent. He did a good job. But the toughest game when you come back is always the second one. The first one, you have all the energy and everything. He passed the test, no doubt about it. We’re happy to have him and he did a really good job. No doubt.”
Utah finished the homestand with a 2-2-0 record and are 7-3-1 at home this season. The Mammoth will start a season-long six game road trip on Friday against the Dallas Stars.
