Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Mammoth Hunt Panthers

     The Florida Panthers lost to the Utah Mammoth 4-3 at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday night. The Panthers had their three-game winning streak snapped. 
     It was the Panthers second home game in the past three weeks. The Mammoth appeared in Sunrise for the first time with their new nickname. 
     In the first period, Utah(28-21-4) rolled out to a 1-0 lead on a shorthanded goal with 4:14 to go. Nick Schmaltz got to a loose puck at his own blue line and went on a breakaway. He eventually lifted a backhand shot from the top of the crease past Sergei Bobrovsky for his 19th goal this season.
     Florida(28-21-3) tied it 1-1 at the 2:52 mark of the second period. Ian Cole turned the puck over on a bad pass from the end wall. Sandis Vilmanis then snapped a shot from from the slot area by Vitek Vanecek for his first NHL goal of his career. 
     The Mammoth recaptured the lead 2-1 at 3:46. Michael Carcone connected a cross-ice pass from the left corner. Jamie McBain fed a pass from below the right circle and Sean Durzi chalked up his fourth goal of the campaign on a forehand shot from the slot. 
     The Panthers answered back with 10:05 remaining in the second to make it 2-2. Vilmanis tapped a pass back in the right circle and Cole Schwindt released a wrist shot from the inner right circle for his third goal of the year. 
     Utah moved in front 3-2 with 8:55 left in the third period. Durzi took a shot from right point and Mikhail Sergachev redirected it from the right circle for his eighth goal in 2025-26.
     The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra skater with 1:28 remaining. Barrett Hayton skated with the puck and put in an empty-net goal from the low slot with 55.7 seconds to go in the third for a 4-2 lead. 
     The Cats closed it to 4-3 with 14.6 seconds left. Sam Bennett made a drop pass at the left point and Carter Verhaeghe followed with a snap shot from the top left circle for his 16th goal of the season. 

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