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\u2019s fourth game this season, and fifth career game. He\u2019s gaining valuable experience in his first NHL season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLike 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,\u201d head coach Andr\u00e9 Tourigny explained postgame. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019t see a shot. However, he stayed in the game and helped secure the win.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to stay in it mentally,\u201d Cossa explained. \u201cWhen you got a good team like that, we (had) a lot of possession of the puck and keeping it in their zone, so that\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cJosh Allen DeSimone,\u201d Schmidt joked after the game. \u201cYeah he was 10 and 2 all night. It was great. I mean the guy goes in the first period; it looks like he\u2019s been in every game this year. It\u2019s awesome to see how confident he is with the puck and also with (assistant coach Adam Foote) too, right? You got a guy that\u2019s 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\u2019s just a consummate pro, right? The guy is just always ready. Been an awesome guy in the room. I\u2019m pumped for him. He had a great night tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tourigny discussed Cossa, DeSimone, and Utah\u2019s Stenlund line as top performers in Monday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat, great win by (Cossa),\u201d Tourigny shared. \u201cGood 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the strong performances above, there were plenty of moments to highlight in Monday\u2019s game. Utah\u2019s first goal, six minutes into the game, showed associate captain Lawson Crouse\u2019s chemistry with Keller<\/a>, as Crouse delivered the perfect pass and set his linemate up for success. Stenlund\u2019s goal four minutes later was the result of the center fighting for a rebound<\/a>, after alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev was patient and found a lane for his shot.<\/p>\n Schmidt\u2019s second period tally soared past Pittsburgh\u2019s Arturs Silovs<\/a>. Utah\u2019s blueliners have combined for three goals over the last two games, and five goals over the last three games at the Delta Center. Utah\u2019s 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<\/a> for the forward\u2019s second of the season.<\/p>\n