Logan Cooley had two goals and an assist and Alex Kerfoot also scored twice to lead the Utah Hockey Club to a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City.
Nick Schmaltz added a goal and two assists, John Marino had two assists and Josh Doan scored for Utah (32-27-11, 75 points), which won for the seventh time in its last nine home games.
Karel Vejmelka — making his 13th consecutive start in goal — finished with 22 saves for Utah HC, who remain four points behind St. Louis for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Brayden Point scored two goals, Jake Guentzel had a goal and two assists and Anthony Cirelli also scored for Tampa Bay (40-24-5, 85 points), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.
In his first NHL start and second career appearance, Brandon Halverson stopped 19 of 24 shots for the Lightning.
Utah jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Doan, who rammed in a Jack McBain pass from behind the net, and Cooley, who tapped in a rebound after Halverson made a pad save on a Michael Kesselring breakaway.
Tampa Bay cut the deficit to 2-1 near the end of the period when Point, left alone in front of the net, slammed in a Guentzel pass for his 14th power-play goal of the season.
The Lightning tied it, 2-2, at the 5:22 mark of the second period on a one-timer from the slot by Cirelli, but Utah regained the lead just 36 seconds later when Kerfoot, alone by the right post, tapped in a Kevin Stenlund crossing pass.
Tampa Bay tied it up, 3-3, late in the second period when Guentzel deflected Nick Perbix’s shot from the right circle. But Utah once again answered quickly, this time just 30 seconds later, when Cooley redirected a Marino shot to give the home team a 4-3 lead.
Schmaltz extended the Utah lead to 5-3 early in the third period with a rebound goal, but Point answered with his second goal of the game, redirecting Ryan McDonagh’s shot from the left point.
Utah picked up a penalty for too many men with 2:09 to go and Halverson was pulled for another extra attacker to give the Lightning a 6-on-4 power play, but Kerfoot sealed the win with a short-handed empty-netter with 56 seconds to go.
–Field Level Media
