No one would have guessed the Utah Mammoth were playing on the back end of a back-to-back — not with the energy and effort the team brought against the Winnipeg Jets. Utah has proven it’s not just a team with young, emerging stars; it’s a team hungry to prove itself as a contender and a force in the playoffs. Dylan Guenther’s goal was further proof of that, giving Utah its first lead late in the third period, and ultimately was the biggest reason the Mammoth pulled off its 3-2 win over the Jets. Giving credit only to Guenther for that goal wouldn’t do justice to the plays made by both JJ Peterka and Logan Cooley beforehand. Specifically, Peterka’s high-effort play to race past Winnipeg and battle for the puck along the boards stood out. Even with it being a 1-on-3 situation, Peterka stuck with it and managed to jar the puck into open ice just before Winnipeg’s Tanner Pearson delivered a hit. But the damage had already been done, as a streaking Cooley collected the puck and delivered an immediate, behind-the-back, no-look pass to none other than, you guessed it, Dylan Guenther. Guenther’s shot was impressive, too, as it always takes effort to score against Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. But the goal was more a testament to how well Utah’s second line has played together. Getting the game-winning goal was especially rewarding, considering that line had given up its first goal since the season opener against the Colorado Avalanche. In its last eight games, Cooley, Guenther and Peterka have outscored opponents 8-0 when on the ice. For this line to respond to adversity and make up its rare mistake is an encouraging sign for Utah. <br> [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/bf3882be-12ae-4cb9-aadc-a87974c8ce7d.jpeg] <br> QUICK NOTES With its win over the Jets, the Utah Mammoth extended its franchise-record winning streak to seven games — the second-longest active streak in the NHL. What makes the streak even more significant is that Utah has beaten four straight Central Division opponents, all of whom made the playoffs last season. Even more impressive, Utah has won three of those games on the road. Though the win over the Jets was tighter and more defense-oriented than its victories against the Blues and Wild, seeing the Mammoth triumph in different ways is an encouraging sign. "We want consistency. We don't want to level ourself to our opponent," said André Tourigny. "We want to be the best version of ourself every night... We don't change our approach." But it isn’t luck driving this winning streak, it’s impressive play from the entire team. Utah backup goalie Vitek Vanecek’s 28-save performance featured several clutch moments, Mikhail Sergachev kept Utah’s power-play goal streak alive, and despite the Mammoth being in the middle of a line change, Carcone and Yamamoto made it work to score in the second period. "Every single game is really important," said Vanecek. "It doesn't matter if it's the beginning of the season or not... We need to just keep going like this and it's going to be great." Utah’s entire lineup is finding ways to contribute, and it’s leading to plenty of wins and first place in the Central Division. With only one road game remaining Tuesday, Oct. 28, against the Edmonton Oilers, Utah has a chance to finish its trip with a perfect 4-0 record. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com [http://thn.com/] or creating your own post in our community forum.
