SALT LAKE CITY (Interstat) — Dmitri Voronkov scored 4:01 into overtime, lifting the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-2 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday at Delta Center. The Blue Jackets, who halted a three-game losing streak, also got goals from Mikael Pyyhtia and Charlie Coyle. Goaltender Jet Greaves made 25 saves for the win. Utah’s Jack McBain and Mikhail Sergachev scored, with Clayton Keller assisting on both. Vitek Vanecek stopped 34 shots in the loss. The Mammoth, favored pregame, forced overtime after erasing one-goal deficits twice in regulation. Columbus improved to 19-26, while Utah fell to 22-24 before an announced crowd of 12,478.

SALT LAKE CITY (Interstat) — Dmitri Voronkov tipped home a shot 4:01 into overtime, lifting the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-2 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday night at Delta Center. Voronkov’s 16th goal of the season, coming off assists from Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko, ended a back-and-forth contest that saw the teams trade leads and required extra time to settle. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Blue Jackets, who were coming off a 4-0 shutout loss in Colorado just 24 hours earlier. The game began with a physical, scoreless opening stretch before Utah’s Jack McBain broke through at 16:20 of the first period. Stationed in front of the net, McBain deflected a Clayton Keller shot past Columbus goaltender Jet Greaves for a 1-0 Mammoth lead. The advantage was short-lived, however, as the Blue Jackets responded just over six minutes later. Rookie Mikael Pyyhtia, playing in just his seventh NHL game, collected a loose puck and fired a wrist shot past Utah netminder Vitek Vanecek for his first career goal at the 2:47 mark, assisted by Danton Heinen and Ivan Provorov. The second period featured a similar pattern. Utah regained the lead early when defenseman Mikhail Sergachev unleashed a wrist shot from the point that beat Greaves at 2:02, with Keller collecting his second assist of the night alongside Nick Schmaltz. Columbus pushed back relentlessly, finally breaking through on a power play late in the period. With Utah’s McBain in the box for holding, the Blue Jackets sustained heavy pressure. Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko worked the puck to Charlie Coyle, who buried a wrist shot from the slot with 36:31 elapsed to tie the game 2-2 heading into the second intermission. A tense, defensive third period followed with neither team able to find the decisive goal. Both Greaves and Vanecek were sharp, turning aside all 14 shots they faced in the frame to force overtime. The Blue Jackets carried the play in the extra session, outshooting the Mammoth 4-0. The final sequence saw Werenski fire a shot from the point that Voronkov, positioned at the top of the crease, deftly redirected past Vanecek for the winner. Greaves, a native of Cambridge, Ontario, earned the win with a 25-save performance, improving his record on the season. Vanecek, from Havlickuv Brod, Czech Republic, was saddled with the loss despite a strong 34-save outing for Utah. Key performers for Columbus included Coyle with a goal and Pyyhtia with his milestone first goal. For Utah, Keller’s two assists paced the offense, while Sergachev contributed a goal from the blue line. The victory improved Columbus to 19-26 on the season, while Utah fell to 22-24. The announced attendance was 12,478. The result defied pregame projections, as National Statistical’s game simulator had predicted a 3-1 Utah victory, and its ELO system gave the Mammoth a 57.4% probability to win. Utah had been installed as a 1.5-goal favorite, and the combined five total goals stayed under the over/under line of 6.5. The game was a special teams battle, with Columbus converting on one of its four power-play opportunities while killing off both of Utah’s man-advantage chances. The Mammoth’s discipline proved costly, as penalties to McBain and Daniil But in the third period and overtime, respectively, hampered their ability to generate momentum. For Columbus, the win provides a measure of momentum as they return home to begin a four-game homestand, starting with the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets had struggled on their recent road trip, losing the first three games before Sunday’s overtime triumph. Utah, meanwhile, sees a modest two-game winning streak come to an end and will look to regroup when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. The Mammoth had been playing improved hockey of late, having won four of their previous six contests prior to Sunday’s setback. The contest marked the first and only regular-season meeting between the two franchises this season. The Blue Jackets’ resilience was on full display, as they overcame deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to secure the extra point in the standings, a character win for a team looking to climb out of the bottom half of the Eastern Conference. Utah, fighting for positioning in a crowded Western Conference playoff race, will rue the missed opportunity to secure two points on home ice against a team playing the second leg of a back-to-back.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Interstat) — The struggling Columbus Blue Jackets, mired in a three-game losing skid, face an uphill battle Sunday when they visit the surging Utah Mammoth at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Blue Jackets (18-26-0) arrive after a dispiriting 4-0 shutout loss in Colorado on Saturday night, their third consecutive defeat. Their road record remains a significant hurdle. Center Sean Monahan, a key offseason acquisition, will be relied upon to spark the offense. He has five points (one goal, four assists) in his last seven games, but was held without a shot and managed only two hits in the loss to the Avalanche. Utah (22-23-0), playing its fourth game of a five-game homestand, has found momentum with three straight victories. The Mammoth are coming off a 4-2 win over St. Louis on Friday, powered by a three-point night from center Nick Schmaltz. Schmaltz has been on a tear, recording nine points (four goals, five assists) over his last five contests, emerging as the focal point of Utah’s attack. The matchup pits two teams on divergent trajectories. Columbus has lost five of its last six games overall and has been outscored 14-5 during its current three-game slide. Utah, meanwhile, has won five of its last seven and is showcasing improved play at home. According to National Statistical’s game simulator, Utah is projected to extend its winning streak with a 3-1 victory. The Mammoth hold a slight edge in the standings and are playing with more consistent confidence, particularly on home ice where they recently dispatched St. Louis and Ottawa. For Columbus, ending the road trip on a positive note is critical before returning home to face Calgary on Tuesday. Defensemen Zach Werenski, who led the team with five shots on goal in the loss to Colorado, and Egor Zamula will need to help stabilize a team that has allowed five or more goals in three of its last four losses. Utah will look to Schmaltz and playmaking wing Clayton Keller, who had three assists Friday, to continue driving offense as they aim to climb back to .500 and beyond. Puck drop is set for Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at 7 p.m. MST.