Durzi scores in OT, Mammoth rally past Rangers

NEW YORK -- Sean Durzi scored 1:06 into overtime and the Utah Mammoth came back to defeat the New York Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Durzi went to the net and Nick Schmaltz found him at the right post for a tap-in. Lawson Crouse kept the possession by holding onto the puck in front of the net, pulling it out of the slot and finding Schmaltz in the left face-off circle.

"For 'Crouser' to win that battle is a key play on that, and then 8 (Schmaltz) has eyes on every side of his head so I knew that if I beat my guy to the net and get open, he was going to find me," Durzi said. "Crisp, hard pass and the rest is history."

The Mammoth got to overtime by killing Durzi's hooking penalty on Mika Zibanejad with 3:14 remaining in regulation. The Rangers had already scored two power-play goals, but Utah limited them to one shot on goal with Durzi in the penalty box.

"Not to get too emotional, I lost my grandfather a few weeks ago and I said a little prayer in the penalty box hoping he had our back there," Durzi said. "To get that OT winner for him, I try not to get emotional, but he was an important guy in my life so it was nice to get that one for him."

Dylan Guenther and Michael Carcone scored, and Karel Vejmelka made 22 saves. The Mammoth (20-20-3) won for the second time on a three-game road trip after defeating the New York Islanders 7-2 on Thursday and losing 4-1 to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

"This trip is important because you can go back home 1-2 or you can go back 2-1, and that is a huge difference," Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. "Now we're playing 10 of the last 14 (games before the Olympic break) at home. We're the team who has played the most games on the road in the League (26). So now we have an opportunity to balance everything out and to prove who we want to be. I think it was a big game."

Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin left the game with a lower-body injury at 13:00 of the first period and did not return. Shesterkin (nine saves) was unable to put much weight on his left leg as he needed help off the ice and down the tunnel toward the dressing room.

Jonathan Quick replaced Shesterkin and made 14 saves.

Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said Shesterkin was still being evaluated and undergoing testing after the game.

"There are certain guys that drive your team and he's one of them for us," Sullivan said. "He's an elite player at his position. I think he's one of the very best in the league. When you lose a player like that for any length of time those types of players are difficult to replace."

Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere scored power-play goals, and Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad each had two assists for the Rangers (20-18-6), who played their first game since defeating the Florida Panthers 5-1 in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic on Friday.

The Rangers had a 2-1 lead going into the third period, but Sullivan said he did not like their intensity in the first half of the period and it allowed Utah to get some momentum that led to Carcone's tying goal at 6:15.

"We had some good shifts in the third but not nearly enough to protect the lead and play a little more offense, play a little more in their zone," Zibanejad said. "That's something we have to do a better job of."

Lafreniere gave New York a 1-0 lead by scoring a power-play goal from in front of the net at 8:29 of the second period.

Guenther tied it 1-1 by scoring off his own rebound at 12:38, a play started with Panarin's turnover on Utah's blue line.

Trocheck gave New York a 2-1 lead at 16:36, scoring a 5-on-3 power-play goal with a netfront deflection of Panarin's shot from above the left circle at 16:36.

But Carcone tied it 2-2 at 6:15 of the third period with a strong solo effort. He had his right hand on his stick as he carried the puck and fended off Urho Vaakanainen before pulling it to his forehand in time to stuff in it past Quick.

"What I liked the most is the way we reacted in the third, the pace we had, the drive and grit we had in the third," Tourigny said. "We found a way to score big goals and get the win."

NOTES: Schmaltz's assist on Durzi's goal was his 100th point in a Utah uniform (34 goals, 66 assists). … Following the game, Utah traded defenseman Juuso Valimaki to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations. … Panarin has 94 multiassist games, fifth in Rangers history and two behind Mark Messier.