- JJ Peterka played just over 10 minutes before getting yanked in Game 4
- Andre Tourigny confirmed it was his decision but kept the details private
- Read below for video of Game 4 and what comes next with the series tied 2-2
JJ Peterka spent most of the third period and all of overtime watching from the Utah Mammoth bench on Monday night.
Utah fell 5-4 in overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights, with Shea Theodore burying the winner in the closing minute of the extra frame. Peterka logged just over 10 minutes of ice time before vanishing from the rotation.
Game 4 video highlights from the Delta Center:
Tourigny confirmed Tuesday that the benching was his call, per Sporting News.
“I had a discussion with JJ, and that discussion will stay inside our room,” Tourigny told reporters.
Peterka was the only player on either roster who didn’t get on the ice during overtime. That stat lands harder when you remember Utah pried him out of Buffalo last summer on a five-year, $7.7 million AAV contract.
The 24-year-old winger scored 25 goals during the regular season and was penciled in as a top-six fixture for the franchise’s first playoff run. Utah now has to figure out what his minutes look like for Game 5.
Logan Cooley’s Game 2 overtime winner gave the Mammoth their first playoff win in franchise history, but the series has tightened since then. Vegas climbed out of a 3-0 hole on Monday and stole the night in dramatic fashion.
Mikhail Sergachev, Cooley and Dylan Guenther all chipped in for the Mammoth comeback. Utah came within seconds of stealing the game in regulation before the Knights tied it.
The Golden Knights walked out of Salt Lake City with momentum and a series knotted at 2-2:
Game 5 drops the puck Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena. Whatever message Tourigny was sending with the benching, the Mammoth need their $7.7 million winger ready to roll.
