Cossa stopped 15 of the 19 shots he faced. However, out of his four goals allowed, only two were even strength goals. Monday was Cossa’s fourth game this season, and fifth career game. He’s gaining valuable experience in his first NHL season.
“Like every young player who arrives in the league, it's an expression you hear before. It's that the game has to slow down for him,” head coach André Tourigny explained postgame. “And right now, the game is probably fast for him, and he gets surprised in some situations and stuff like that. And when we say that, it has nothing to do with your ability to play in that league. It's the ability to relax, settle down, and be comfortable. It's just that. So, I think he wants to do great, won a big game for us. Happy, get back on his feet, get his leg under himself, and now try to get into a better rhythm.”
Utah held the Penguins to six shots in the first and third periods, and seven in the second period. With the low shot volume, there were stretches of time in which Cossa didn’t see a shot. However, he stayed in the game and helped secure the win.
“Trying to stay in it mentally,” Cossa explained. “When you got a good team like that, we (had) a lot of possession of the puck and keeping it in their zone, so that’s nice, but got a little bored and a little cold down there on one end. Just continuing trying to move and just trying to stay in it mentally.”
At the start of warmups, the Mammoth announced that defenseman John Marino was day-to-day with an upper-body injury. As a result, Nick DeSimone made his season debut. As he has throughout his career, DeSimone was calm and consistent. He had a strong first game of the 2026-27 campaign and earned post-game praise.
“Josh Allen DeSimone,” Schmidt joked after the game. “Yeah he was 10 and 2 all night. It was great. I mean the guy goes in the first period; it looks like he’s been in every game this year. It’s awesome to see how confident he is with the puck and also with (assistant coach Adam Foote) too, right? You got a guy that’s just coming in after 10 games to have the confidence in him to go and put him out there. Man, I thought he rewarded our team with a great effort, and he’s just a consummate pro, right? The guy is just always ready. Been an awesome guy in the room. I’m pumped for him. He had a great night tonight.”
Tourigny discussed Cossa, DeSimone, and Utah’s Stenlund line as top performers in Monday’s game.
“Great, great win by (Cossa),” Tourigny shared. “Good to get a win in front of our fans for him. I think (DeSimone) as well played well for a guy who did not play since the start of the season. To jump in after a lot of practice time. Happy about his performance. That was good, and a heck of a performance from our fourth line. I think (Stenlund), (Daniil But), and (Jack McBain) played rock-solid, physical, simple, and effective. Really, really happy about their game.”
In addition to the strong performances above, there were plenty of moments to highlight in Monday’s game. Utah’s first goal, six minutes into the game, showed associate captain Lawson Crouse’s chemistry with Keller, as Crouse delivered the perfect pass and set his linemate up for success. Stenlund’s goal four minutes later was the result of the center fighting for a rebound, after alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev was patient and found a lane for his shot.
Schmidt’s second period tally soared past Pittsburgh’s Arturs Silovs. Utah’s blueliners have combined for three goals over the last two games, and five goals over the last three games at the Delta Center. Utah’s nine goals from the blue line this season are tied with the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers for most in the NHL (per Mammoth PR). Three minutes later, Kailer Yamamoto tipped in a feed from Schmidt for the forward’s second of the season.
As they’ve done all season long, the Mammoth converted on the power play for Utah’s fifth and final goal of the night. The goal was the result of Schmaltz’s skill and determination as he converted on his own rebound to score his seventh of the season, and a league-leading fifth power play goal.
It was a scrappy win and another two points for the Mammoth who improved to 7-3-0 with the win. Although Pittsburgh continued to fight back, Utah can take a lot away from their response to momentum swings.
“I just liked our directness, especially early in the game, and especially after the goals,” Schmidt explained. “We talked a little bit about it in between periods, especially after they scored on their two power-play goals. I loved how we were able to direct our next couple of shifts, and I just love the way that we can kind of gain that momentum back because that really does change the hockey game and change the way that your team feels when you're in a situation where you give up a goal.”
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Sergachev recorded the primary assist on Utah’s second goal tonight, and he has now posted eight points over his last seven games, which trail only Schmaltz for the team lead over that span. Sergachev now ranks third in points (3G, 8A) among NHL defensemen in 2026-27, trailing only Evan Bouchard (EDM) and Quinn Hughes (MIN).
- Utah has earned a 3-1-0 record at the Delta Center in 2026-27, with five or more goals in each of those three victories. The team’s 4.50 goals per game on home ice is the third-highest rate in the NHL this season.
- Barrett Hayton (1A) has now found the scoresheet in six of his last seven games. Logan Cooley (1A) has now earned five points in his last five contests. Yamamoto (1G) has points in four of his five contests this season.
More post-game notes here!
Final Stats
Score: 5-4 UTA
Shots: UTA 29, PIT 19
Power Play: PIT 2/2, UTA 1/2
Hits: UTA 26, PIT 15
Blocked Shots: PIT 15, UTA 13
Face-Off %: UTA 57.9%, 42.1%
Upcoming Schedule
