- Logan Cooley broke a tie with six minutes left in the third to lift Utah past Vegas 3-2
- First playoff win in Mammoth franchise history evens the West First Round series 1-1
- Read below for the full Game 2 rundown and what is next as Utah hosts Game 3 on Friday
The Mammoth have their first playoff win.
Logan Cooley slid a rebound past Carter Hart with six minutes to go in the third period Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena, and Utah edged the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round. The best-of-7 series is now tied 1-1.
Coming off a 4-2 loss in Game 1 where Vegas outscored Utah 3-0 in the third, this was the response the Mammoth needed in their first-ever postseason series.
“It’s awesome. It’s nice to get to win,” Cooley said, per NHL.com. “It’s tough to score in this League. That was the main focus of getting to the front of the net, letting our ‘D’ get through, and that’s where greasy goals are scored.”
Mark Stone put Vegas ahead with a first-period power-play goal before MacKenzie Weegar answered back. Dylan Guenther then gave Utah a 2-1 lead midway through the second on a one-timer from the top of the left circle. Ivan Barbashev tied it just 1:02 later.
The game-winner was all speed and net-front grit. Guenther flew past Shea Theodore on the left wing, fired a shot that Hart stopped, then rang the rebound off the post. Cooley was there to bang it home.
“We talked about building speed through the middle, and we’re a fast line,” Guenther said. “I heard ‘Cools,’ but I didn’t see him, so I just wanted to attack the net and break them down. It’s a lot of greasy goals in the playoffs.”
Cooley has scored in both games this series, becoming the youngest American in NHL history to score in each of his first two playoff games. He beat a mark previously held by Mammoth captain Clayton Keller.
Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves for his first career playoff win. Kailer Yamamoto added two assists.
Game 3 is Friday at Delta Center with a 9:30 p.m. ET puck drop. That is Utah’s first home playoff game in franchise history, and the building is going to be rocking.
