Dmitri Simashev waited for his first NHL goal, and then he scored two in one night, including the overtime winner that lifted Utah past Tampa Bay 5-4 in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The rookie defenceman slipped in a pass from Barrett Hayton at 1:44 of overtime for his first career game winner, capping a night when a first goal became a signature moment.
Simashev’s first goal of the game had already announced him, but the overtime winner announced Utah’s night. The Mammoth also received goals from Kailer Yamamoto, Dylan Guenther and Anders Lee, while goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves and earned the secondary assist on the winning goal, a rare bonus for a goalie on the scoresheet as well as in the crease.
A milestone on the other side
Tampa Bay’s night was not without its own history. Jake Guentzel, Pontus Holmberg, Brayden Point and Conor Geekie scored for the Lightning, Vincent Trocheck had two assists, and Dennis Hildeby made 23 saves. Nikita Kucherov collected an assist for his 1,138th career point, passing Steven Stamkos for the all time franchise lead, a milestone that deserved a win and did not get one.
That contrast, a rookie’s first winner against a veteran’s franchise record, is what makes an ordinary October game worth remembering. Utah won because its young players produced at the decisive moment, while Tampa Bay’s milestone night ended in a loss that will be forgotten faster than the record itself.
What the win means for Utah
As Field Level Media reported, Simashev’s overtime goal at 1:44 gave Utah the win after a back and forth game in which both teams traded leads. Overtime wins in October do not decide seasons, but they do build a team’s belief that it can win close games, and for a young Mammoth side, that belief is currency.
Simashev will remember his first NHL goal for the rest of his career, not because it was his first, but because it was followed, in the same game, by the goal that won it. For Utah, the night was a reminder that rookies do not need to wait their turn. Sometimes they take it, in overtime, with the game on their stick.
