Durzi's OT winner lifts Mammoth by Rangers to cap 3-game road trip

SALT LAKE CITY — Sean Durzi made sure the Utah Mammoth finished off a three-game road trip on a high note.

Durzi tapped home the game-winning goal from Nick Schmaltz in overtime to lift the Mammoth to a 3-2 win Monday night over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, gifting Utah its second win on a three-game road trip through the New York metropolitan area.

"It's big," Durzi admitted on the postgame television broadcast. "Enjoy it — and then right back to work. We've got to get some points here; it's good to get two tonight, and move on from here."

Dylan Guenther and Michael Carcone each added a goal for the Mammoth (20-20-3, 43 points), who rallied twice to take the third game — and most important, according to head coach Andre Tourigny — of a three-game road trip before a seven-game homestand that starts Wednesday against Ottawa (7:30 p.m. MST, Mammoth+).

Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 22 saves in the win.

Four days after Guenther's first career hat trick against the Islanders, Guenther gave the visitors a chance after Alexis Lafreniere opened the scoring in the second period.

"I think win that game, you won the trip," Tourigny said before the game. "You're going back home feeling pretty good about yourself, and now we'll be home for what I think is10 of the next 14. It's important for us to get to .500, win the trip, and go into that stretch what we're looking for."

Utah out-shot the hosts 9-3 to open the game, but Igor Shesterkin stood tall early before an early injury to the star goalie.

The 30-year-old NHL veteran from Russia who won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie in 2022 dropped to the ice after his leg bent awkwardly to avoid contact with Utah forward JJ Peterka with 7:05 left in the first period, and Shesterkin had to be helped from the ice.

The highest-paid goaltender in league history at $92 million over eight years was replaced by backup goalie Johnathan Quick. But the 39-year-old journeyman goalie held serve to keep the Mammoth scoreless on 12 total shots en route to a 0-0 first period.

Instead, it was the home team that struck first midway through the second period. Lafreniere finished off a power-play goal from Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin with a tap-in opposite Utah's Karel Vejmelka with 11:31 left in the second.

The lead didn't last long.

Ian Cole chipped a turnover off the blue line four minutes later, and Guenther finished off the counter attack for his team-high 21st game of the season with 7:22 left.

New York (20-18-6, 46 points) took back the lead, again on the power play. Vincent Trocheck wristed home his 10th of the season from distance with 3:24 left in the period to lift the Rangers to a 2-1 advantage.

Carcone equalized for the Mammoth just over six minutes into the third period, finishing off his eighth goal of the season from John Marino to force overtime and set up Durzi's winner.

"We knew this trip was going to be important," Carcone said. "We see the standings, and where we are; to get two wins on this trip and get home is going to be great."

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