03/03/26 08:45:00
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03/03 20:44 CST Mammoth hold off Capitals 3-2, dropping Washington 4 points
back of a playoff spot
Mammoth hold off Capitals 3-2, dropping Washington 4 points back of a playoff
spot
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) --- JJ Peterka scored in the second period on a bizarre bounce,
and the Utah Mammoth beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev scored for the Mammoth, who took an early
2-0 lead and held off the Capitals in a matchup of teams near the playoff
cutoff lines. Utah entered the night tied with Edmonton for the top wild card
in the Western Conference.
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Ryan Leonard scored for Washington, which fell to four
points behind Boston for the second wild card in the East. The Bruins also have
three more games left than the Caps.
The Capitals have been hoping to add a forward before Friday's trade deadline,
and with Aliaksei Protas out for personal reasons Tuesday, they struggled to
apply consistent pressure in the Utah zone until they were down two in the
third. It's not clear if Washington's position in the standings --- and losses
to Montreal and the Mammoth in its last two games --- will alter the team's
approach to the deadline.
Guenther scored his 28th goal of the season in the first period, then Sergachev
made it 2-0 on the power play. Dubois scored for the Capitals in the final
minute of the first period.
Peterka's 21st goal put the Mammoth up 3-1. With Utah on the power play, his
shot from near the slot bounced off the post and off goalie Logan Thompson.
When Thompson swept his glove hand back behind him, he knocked the puck into
the net.
Washington's power play --- a sore spot for much of this season --- produced
both its goals in this game, but after Leonard pulled the Capitals within one
with 13:29 remaining, they were unable to tie it.
Up next
Mammoth: At Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Capitals: At Boston on Saturday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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