Lightning tame Mammoth, open trip with 5th straight win

Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist and the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Utah Mammoth 4-2 on Sunday in Salt Lake City for their fifth straight win.

Guentzel scored the tiebreaking goal at 12:06 of the third period. After a faceoff in the Mammoth zone, he controlled the puck, skated around the back of the net and beat Karel Vejmelka with a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle.

With Vejmelka pulled with the extra skater, Brandon Hagel scored into the empty net. Hagel has a goal in four straight games after not finding the net over the first eight.

Yanni Gourde and Anthony Cirelli also scored for the Lightning, who were opening a three-game road trip. Jonas Johansson made 25 saves.

Lawson Crouse and Kailer Yamamoto scored for the Mammoth, who have lost two straight after winning seven in a row. Ian Cole had two assists and Vejmelka made 22 saves. The Mammoth began the day as one of only two teams (along with New Jersey) without a home loss.

Crouse gave the Mammoth a 1-0 lead at 5:55 of the first period. Cole's stretch pass sent Crouse in alone and he beat Johansson stick side to the top corner.

Gourde tied it 1-1 at 15:17. Tampa Bay entered the zone 3-on-3 and Gourde took a drop pass from Zemgus Girgensons, passed across to Emil Lilleberg and then went to the far post and tapped Lilleberg's return pass home.

Cirelli gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead at 2:47 of the second and he scored far side on a one-timer from the left circle off a pass from Guentzel.

Yamamoto tied the score 2-2 at 2:21 of the third. After Guentzel went to the bench to get a new stick, Yamamoto moved into the vacated area, scoring on a high snap shot from the left circle off a pass from Cole.