Through its first two seasons in the NHL, Utah will remain undefeated in the state of New York.
That assurance comes with their 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers on Monday. They’d previously stolen wins in Buffalo and on Long Island this season, just as they did last year.
The Mammoth find themselves tied for a playoff spot yet again, though the tiebreakers have them on the outside, looking in. It remains paramount that they string together a few more wins in order to claim their spot in the postseason.
Quick catchup
Utah Mammoth: 3
New York Rangers: 2
It took nearly half a game to break the scoring open, but Alexis Lafrenière managed to do it with a power play goal. Power play goals were a theme for the Rangers. Both of their goals came with a man-advantage, the latter them being on a full, two-minute 5-on-3.
The Mammoth managed to find answers, twice turning harmless-looking opportunities into goals.
First, Dylan Guenther scooped up a loose puck in the neutral zone and turned on the jets to beat the Rangers’ defender, Braeden Schneider. He shot the puck off the pad of Jonathan Quick, then tapped in his own rebound.
Later in the game, Michael Carcone bullied his way to the front of the net, tucking the puck in as he did so. Remember last game when we talked at length about former power forward Todd Bertuzzi? That was a Todd Bertuzzi type of goal (even though Carcone is six inches shorter and 47 pounds lighter).
Against the odds, the Mammoth survived a late penalty and forced overtime, where Sean Durzi got the chance to play hero. More on that in a second.
“Right from the first shift, the guys were on it,” said Mammoth head coach André Tourigny. “That paid off.”
Tidbits and takeaways
Sean Durzi’s on a tear
Late in the third period, with the score knotted, Sean Durzi was assessed a hooking penalty that he vehemently disagreed with. Mika Zibanejad was holding his stick, he argued.
Hockey referees have seldom, if ever, been known to change their minds, though, and regardless of what actually happened, Durzi was forced to sit and watch his team play a man short for what may have felt like the longest two minutes of his life.
But after scoring the game-winning goal 1:06 into overtime, he can’t be too upset about the call.
“I think his head might have grown three sizes,” joked Carcone after the game. “But I’m happy for him. He deserves it. He’s a big part of our team and creates a lot of offense, so it’s nice to see him get one.”
Durzi’s goal bumped him up to 10 points in his last 12 games. Those are good numbers for players of any position, but the fact that he’s a defenseman makes it extra special. With significant injuries both this season and last, he hasn’t always had the runway to get a good streak going.
“He has that passion, that grit, that desire to excel,” Tourigny said of Durzi after the game. “Those are intangibles you don’t always see from the outside. ... He has no retreat in him.”
It’s been a tough month for the Durzi family. Sean’s grandfather, who never missed a game, passed away just before the Christmas break. Not that it’s any consolation, but it’s nice to see Durzi having success in this trying period of time.
“(I) said a little prayer in the penalty box, hoping he had our back there, and then to get that OT winner for him,” Durzi said. “Again, I’m going to try not to get emotional, but he was an important guy in my life, so it was nice to get that one for him.”
Igor Shesterkin’s injury
Few goalies in the world have been better than Igor Shesterkin since he came into the league at the beginning of the decade. Rangers management agreed with that statement when they handed him the most lucrative contract ever seen by an NHL goaltender in December 2024.
Given that information, you can imagine the fan base’s concern when he had to be helped off the ice on Monday.
There was debate online as to whether Mammoth forward JJ Peterka touched Shesterkin as he attempted to stop in front of the Rangers’ net. Either way, Shesterkin’s bodyweight was the main factor, as he fell backwards with his right knee bent.
The injury happened just 13 minutes into the game, and he did not return.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan said after the game that Shesterkin is being evaluated for a lower-body injury.
Goal of the game
Sean Durzi’s OT winner
The pretty passing that preceded this goal stands out, but don’t overlook the puck protection from Lawson Crouse. If that gets poked away from him, it’s an odd-man rush the other way. Instead, he makes a good play and it ends up in the net shortly thereafter.