WINNIPEG – In a tight battle between two top Central Division teams, Dylan Guenther’s goal late in the third period secured a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets and two divisional points. Goaltender Vítek Vaněček was strong in net and stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced in the win.
“Really good performance by (Vaněček),” head coach André Tourigny said post-game. “He made key saves at key moments. As well as our fourth line, I think they (gave) us a lot of energy. We’re a four-line team and I think they provide a lot of energy, create good offense, come up with a big goal, so I’m really proud of the Stenlund line.
“I think we dug deep,” Tourigny continued. “Last year, there’s a lot of situations where, against that kind of a team, we were there after two, we played good, but we could not find a way to get the two points, tonight we did. We’re there after two, we find a way in the tough schedule, so, proud of the boys.”
The Mammoth had a stronger second period, which has been a focus for the team. In the middle frame, Utah scored twice, starting with a power play goal from Mikhail Sergachev that tied the game, 1-1. Halfway through the second, Sergachev fired one past Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Logan Cooley was screening the netminder which was a key part of getting past Hellebuyck.
A minute later, Utah was opportunistic off a bad change by the Jets. On a 2-on-1, Kailer Yamamoto passed to Michael Carcone who scored and gave the Mammoth their first lead of the game, 2-1. The goal was Carcone’s second of the season and Yamamoto’s assist was his first point of the year. The Mammoth are finding scoring from across the board including from their depth.
“We’ve been scoring a lot lately, getting contributions from a lot of guys, so it’s huge,” Guenther said postgame. “Everyone on this team plays a huge role and guys like (Carcone) and (Yamamoto) are really good offensively, so it helps a ton.”
