Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) is congratulated by defenseman Jalen Chatfield (5) and left wing Jordan Martinook (48) after scoring against the Utah Mammoth during the third period at Lenovo Center. James Guillory-Imagn Images

Hurricanes pull off historic comeback win against Mammoth

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 11:14 PM ET

The Carolina Hurricanes' 5-4 win over the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night probably did not happen the way they drew it up. But all that matters is finishing with more goals on the scoreboard, and they found a way to pull it off.

Even if it required a rather historic effort.

Hurricanes' comeback win against Mammoth happens in historic manner

What makes the Hurricanes win so stunning is that they trailed, 4-2, with less than two minutes to play in regulation.

It looked as if the Mammoth were on their way to a big road win, only to allow Carolina to score three consecutive goals in 90 seconds to come away with the win.

The Hurricanes are just the third team in NHL history to ever win a game in regulation after trailing by two goals in the final two minutes. They join the 1995-96 Dallas Stars and the 1931-32 Montreal Maroons (a franchise that does not even exist anymore) as the only other teams to pull it off.

The #Canes are just the third team in NHL history to win in regulation after trailing by two goals in the final two minutes.

They joined the Dallas Stars (Oct. 14, 1995) and the Montreal Maroons on (March 15, 1932). https://t.co/wS8wT1VXwd
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) January 30, 2026

That is an incredible comeback. Also a stunning meltdown by the Mammoth to not secure even a point out of that game in the standings.

Andrei Svechnikov started the rally with a power-play goal with 1:59 to play in regulation, cutting the deficit to one goal.

Shayne Gostisbehere then scored the game-tying goal just 32 seconds later.

That set the stage for Jordan Staal to score the game-winning goal with only 30 seconds to play.

That win helps Carolina maintain the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, while Utah has to deal with the frustration of giving away two crucial points. The Mammoth are on the playoff bubble in the Western Conference and are not in a position to let points like this slip away. If they end up missing the playoffs by a couple of points, this is a game they are going to be looking back at with some frustration.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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