SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev each had a goal and an assist in the second period to help the Utah Mammoth beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Daniil But, Vincent Trocheck, and MacKenzie Weegar also scored for Utah, and Karel Vejmelka made 22 saves.
Auston Matthews, Jack Roslovic, John Tavares, and Gavin McKenna scored for Toronto while Anthony Stolarz stopped 23 shots.
Toronto trimmed a three-goal deficit to one in the third. With the Leafs trailing 5-2, Tavares scored a power-play goal at 7:12 of the period. McKenna drew the Leafs closer nearly four minutes later, snapping the puck in from the circle.
Vejmelka made key saves during a final-minute penalty kill to keep Toronto from forcing overtime.
But opened the scoring for Utah with 5:05 left in the first, flicking the puck around a defender and snapping it over Stolarz.
Trocheck made it a two-goal lead one minute into the second. Logan Cooley crossed the puck into Trocheck at the opposite post and he flicked in a wrist shot from close range. Sergechev’s short-handed goal put the Mammoth up 3-0 three minutes later.
Toronto finally got on the board with Matthews’ power-play goal at 5:16 of the second.
Cutting into the lead initially proved difficult for the Leafs. Utah countered with a goal each time Toronto scored in the second period.
Guenther snapped the puck home from long distance to restore a three-goal lead with 5:43 remaining in the second. Roslovic cut the deficit to two again on a one-timer between Vejmelka’s legs with 3:31 left in the period.
Weegar countered with Utah’s fourth goal of the period with 40 seconds remaining.
Maple Leafs: Host Buffalo on Thursday.
Mammoth: At Edmonton on Thursday.
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