Penguins overcome another multigoal deficit to win in Utah

King Jemison, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Mar 15, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SALT LAKE CITY — For almost 35 minutes Saturday, it was shaping up to be a very bad night for the Penguins.

The Islanders and Blue Jackets both won, putting Pittsburgh in a more precarious position in the Metropolitan Division standings. And the Penguins were trailing the Utah Mammoth by two goals.

But two of the unlikely heroes of this season flipped the game in a flash.

Anthony Mantha and Tommy Novak each scored in the final minutes of the second period to tie the game. The Penguins would go on to beat Utah, 4-3, at the Delta Center despite missing Evgeni Malkin (suspension) and Sidney Crosby (lower-body injury).

For most of the season, the Penguins have started games well. But not recently. They conceded the first goal for the fifth time in six games.

And after a rough night Thursday in Vegas for Pittsburgh’s usually reliable fourth line, they were once again on the wrong end of a turnover on Saturday’s opening tally.

It looked like Blake Lizotte was trying to drop the puck back to Connor Clifton just outside the Penguins zone. Instead, Dylan Guenther stole the pass and raced in to score on Stuart Skinner five minutes into the first period.

Guenther got on the board again about 90 seconds later. With the Mammoth on a power play, Mikhail Sergachev rifled a puck off the end boards. Barrett Hayton tipped it around Skinner, but it initially bounced off the goal post and stayed on the goal line. Guenther drove the net to knock it in before Clifton and Connor Dewar could clear it.

The Mammoth had more than double the high-danger scoring chances in the opening 20 minutes, according to Sportlogiq.

But with some help from a rash of Utah penalties, the Penguins clawed back in the second.

Mantha cashed in a 5-on-3 power play almost 15 minutes into the period, patiently puckhandling in the circle before firing a shot over Karel Vejmelka for his 25th goal and 50th point of the season.

And less than three minutes later, Novak deftly controlled the rebound of a Parker Wotherspoon shot and scored his third goal in five games to tie it.

The Penguins continued their sudden push early in the third period. Bryan Rust capitalized on a power play to give Pittsburgh its first lead more than 40 minutes in. Egor Chinakhov got his second assist of the night on the goal to continue his playmaking hot streak.

But about three minutes later, Rust slipped in the neutral zone, and the Mammoth ended up with an odd-man rush. Ian Cole beat Skinner from the slot to knot the score again.

The visitors kept charging. After a series of really rough games for the fourth line, they provided a go-ahead goal. Noel Acciari went down low and scored on a rebound to retake the lead with around 12 minutes to play. Wotherspoon and Erik Karlsson each picked up their second assists of the night on Acciari’s dirty-area goal.

Skinner made a huge save on a Michael Carcone breakaway to preserve the lead late.

It was over when …

The Penguins prevented an equalizer in the final minutes, in large part thanks to some serious Skinner stops after the Mammoth pulled Vejmelka.

Stat of the game

— 3: Times in the last four games that the Penguins have overcome a multigoal deficit to at least pick up a point, following comebacks against Boston and Carolina.

Around the boards

— Malkin served the final leg of his five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin on March 5.

— Crosby missed his 10th consecutive game with a lower-body injury suffered at the Olympics. He was on the ice again for the team’s morning skate Saturday. Penguins coach Dan Muse said things “continue to progress” with Crosby, but his status has not yet changed.

— Winger Justin Brazeau was out for a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. He is considered week-to-week but took the ice at the Penguins’ morning skate Saturday.

— Defenseman Sam Girard missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury. The team has listed him as day-to-day.

Up next

The Penguins continue their five-game road trip at the league-leading Colorado Avalanche at 9:30 p.m. Monday.