Mammoth vs. Penguins: Nate Schmidt's Blast and a Late Cossa Save Help Utah Hold Off Pittsburgh

Sebastian Cossa spent the last few seconds of Monday night asking himself a very reasonable question. With bodies piled in front of him, Ben Kindel got a point-blank look in the dying seconds, and the Utah goalie sprawled to make a left-pad save while wondering whether it was finally over.

It was. The Utah Mammoth held off a late Pittsburgh surge to beat the Penguins 5-4 at Delta Center, with Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Kevin Stenlund and Nate Schmidt each posting a goal and an assist. Utah led 5-2 early in the third before Pittsburgh scored twice and nearly pulled off a full comeback.

A Back-and-Forth First Period

The Penguins scored before most fans had settled in. Dylan Guenther was called for tripping 19 seconds into the game, and at 1:11 Erik Karlsson's point shot glanced off the left skate of Utah defenseman MacKenzie Weegar and past Cossa for a 1-0 lead.

Utah answered with some slick playmaking. Lawson Crouse, working the left corner, sent a blind feed into the slot, and Keller lifted a backhand over the glove of Arturs Silovs at 6:00. It was Keller's third goal in three games, according to the AP.

The Mammoth took their first lead at 10:10, when a Mikhail Sergachev shot kicked out and Stenlund lifted the rebound over Silovs. It was Stenlund's first goal of the season, and it came from the fourth line, a recurring theme on the night.

Utah Pulls Away in the Second

Pittsburgh's power play struck again early in the second. Keller took a high-sticking penalty at 6:53, and eight seconds later Bryan Rust found Rickard Rakell on the left side of the crease. Rakell turned and squeezed it inside Cossa's left skate to tie it 2-2.

That was the last time the game was level. Schmidt, a defenseman, loaded up from the blue line at 11:44, and Silovs, screened on the play, had no chance. That made it 3-2. Less than three minutes later, at 14:40, Schmidt set up Kailer Yamamoto for a tap-in from the low slot and a 4-2 cushion.

"I just liked our directness, especially early in the game, and especially after the goals," Schmidt said.

Pittsburgh also lost Rust in the period. NHL.com reported he left at 14:59 of the second with a lower-body injury, and coach Dan Muse did not have an update after the game.

The Turning Point: Schmaltz's Second Effort

Blake Lizotte went to the box for tripping 27 seconds into the third, and Utah's power play needed only 69 seconds to make it count. Silovs stopped Schmaltz's first try, but Schmaltz stayed with it and slipped his own rebound past the goalie at 1:36 for a 5-2 lead.

That goal turned out to be the winner, and it also put Schmaltz in franchise history. NHL.com noted he reached 150 points with the franchise, joining Keller as the only players to get there.

Pittsburgh Pushes Back

Down three, the Penguins kept coming. Andrei Kuzmenko hit Egor Chinakhov in full flight, and Chinakhov, back after missing two games with a lower-body injury, blew past the Utah defense and beat Cossa through the legs at 2:55. Then a Rakell point shot produced a rebound, and Declan Carlile pounced from the left circle to make it 5-4 at 14:55.

That set up the frantic finish, and Cossa's pad stop on Kindel. "I was like, 'Is the game over yet?'" Cossa said. "So, I saw the puck go out, and then there's quite a bit of bodies in front of me."

Who Stood Out

Nate Schmidt: The go-ahead goal and the assist on Yamamoto's insurance tally in 18:31. The best two-point night on a team full of them.

Kevin Stenlund: A goal, the primary assist on Schmidt's go-ahead blast, and four hits. Utah coach Andre Tourigny raved about the fourth line of Stenlund, Daniil But and Jack McBain. "A heck of a performance from our fourth line," Tourigny said.

Sebastian Cossa: Just 15 saves on 19 shots, but NHL.com noted it was the first home start of his NHL career, and he won it. "It wasn't the prettiest of games, but at the end of day (we) got the win, so that's the most important thing," he said. Tourigny was just as pleased for him. "Good to get a win in front of our fans for him," the coach said.

Erik Karlsson: A goal, an assist and 27:40 of ice time for Pittsburgh. Rakell matched him with a goal and an assist, and Silovs stopped 24 of 29 shots at the other end.

Stats That Matter

• 2 for 2: Pittsburgh's power play. It was perfect and it still was not enough.
• 29-19: Utah's advantage in shots on goal.
• 26-15: The Mammoth's edge in hits, with Stenlund contributing four.
• 4: Utah players with a goal and an assist: Keller, Schmaltz, Stenlund and Schmidt.

What It Means

Utah improves to 7-3-0 with 14 points and has won four of its past five, bouncing back from a 6-2 home loss to Edmonton. The Mammoth are 3-1-0 at Delta Center and visit Seattle on Thursday.

Pittsburgh is in real trouble. The Penguins fall to 3-6-1 with seven points, have lost four straight and seven of their past eight, and went 0-4-0 on a four-game road trip that also included stops in Chicago, Colorado and Vegas. They are 1-5-1 on the road.

"We just didn't put a full game together," captain Sidney Crosby said of the trip. "We had leads, we fought back. I just feel like we didn't put a complete game together."

Muse struck a similar tone. "We have to stay together," he said. The Penguins host Florida on Thursday.

Closing Take

Pittsburgh scored on every power play it had and still lost. That is the kind of night that tells you where a team is in October. Utah, meanwhile, looked like a club comfortable in its identity: deep enough that its fourth line can drive a win, with a goalie honest enough to admit he was wondering whether the game was over. It was, and the Mammoth earned it.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.