Guenther scored his 31st of the season 5:47 into the second period to give Utah a 1-0 lead. He became the first player in franchise history to score 31 goals in a single season. Guenther has three goals in his last four games and five points in his last five games. With runway left in the regular season, the forward is five points away from setting a new career-high in points.
JJ Peterka scored his 22nd of the season with 6:15 left in regulation to tie the game, 2-2. Credit to Michael Carcone who stuck with the play, stole the puck, and fed Peterka the perfect pass.
“I think we just worked hard, outworked them on the first goal,” Peterka reflected. “(Carcone) did a hell of a job just backchecking, stripping the guy, so I think that was the main goal of getting in the game, just working hard for each other.”
“(Carcone) is a good player, he’s feisty, he gets into battles, he’s really good on the forecheck, he’s obviously really fast, and he’s a fun guy to play with,” McBain said on Carcone. “I thought he had a strong game tonight. He made a great play on the backcheck there. It’s a huge point for us, obviously, two would’ve been better, but we’re going to be proud of the effort and carry on.”
The Mammoth stepped up their physicality against the Blackhawks. Jack McBain tied his career-high in hits with 10. Carcone had eight hits against Chicago. Utah was able to elevate its physical game to pair with the skill and speed the Mammoth bring to each game. With 35 total hits, the Mammoth set a new franchise single-game record.
“It’s about getting the team involved and also myself involved, gotta get energy out there and get the guys going,” McBain shared. “Like I said, we’ve had some tough games against them and just trying to come out physical and change this one, but I thought everybody was physical tonight and hard on the puck so that was good.”
As the Mammoth were focused on getting back to their identity and re-establishing their game, tonight was a complete effort that showed Utah’s ability to bounce back.
“No game will never be perfect, but it was as close as it can be, in the pressure, in the pace, in the physicality and the bump, and we were in the battle,” Tourigny said. “We won more battles. We talked this morning off camera. We need to get back at getting inside, putting pucks at the net, bodies at the net, having speed off the rush, having speed off the forecheck, creating stuff on the forecheck. There’s no complaint on my side on that. We were really good at all of those.”
Utah will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night to wrap up a two-game homestand.
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Guenther has also lit the lamp in back-to-back meetings with the Blackhawks (also Mar. 9 at Chicago) and his five career goals against Chicago are tied for his third-most against any opponent (Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders: 6).
- With 16 go-ahead goals this season, Guenther trails only Cole Caufield (Montreal, 22) for the league lead.
- Utah is the only NHL team that has not required a shootout in 2025-26, and every other team has played at least three.
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