Noel Acciari scored with just less than 12 minutes left in regulation for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who rallied from an early two-goal deficit to beat the Utah Mammoth 4-3 Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Anthony Mantha recorded a goal and an assist for the Penguins, and Bryan Rust and Tommy Novak also lit the lamp for Pittsburgh. Egor Chinakhov, Erik Karlsson and Parker Wotherspoon tallied a pair of assists each as Pittsburgh snapped a two-game skid.
Stuart Skinner made 26 saves for his first win since Jan. 31, ending a 0-1-4 stretch.
Dylan Guenther scored twice for the Mammoth and defenseman Ian Cole ended a 38-game dry spell. Alexander Kerfoot and Kevin Stenlund finished with an assist apiece.
Karel Vejmelka stopped 19 shots for Utah.
Acciari set himself up for the game-winner, getting the puck off the forecheck behind the Mammoth net. He then stationed himself in front of the net and was in position to put back a rebound of a Wotherspoon shot from the point with 11:57 remaining.
Guenther gave the home team a 2-0 lead with 13:23 left in the first thanks to a pair of unassisted goals, including one on a power play, 91 seconds apart.
Pittsburgh cut into the Utah lead with 5:12 left in the second after Utah’s Kerfoot and Lawson Crouse committed minor penalties 33 seconds apart. Mantha beat Vejmelka short side from the circle on a 5-on-3.
Novak got the equalizer less than three minutes later, beating Vejmelka after Wotherspoon’s shot was deflected by Kailer Yamamoto.
Pittsburgh took advantage of Utah’s fifth second-period minor just 84 seconds into the third when Rust’s power-play goal gave the Penguins their first lead.
In losing its fourth straight (0-2-2), Utah gave Pittsburgh six power-play opportunities.
Cole, called for hooking Rust in the closing seconds of the second, atoned for his error with his third goal of the season with 15:43 left to tie the game.
Utah had several chances for a late equalizer, none better than a Michael Carcone breakaway. However, his shot with 2:30 left hit off Skinner and the crossbar before going out of play.
–Field Level Media
