Utah Mammoth forward JJ Peterka didn’t play for half the third period and all of overtime in their Game 4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights because coach André Tourigny had benched him.
“It’s a coach’s decision,” Tourigny revealed Tuesday after Vegas evened their series 2-2.
Peterka was a minus-1 with no points in 10:18 of total ice time in Monday night’s game. He had one minor penalty for high sticking in the third period. He took one more shift after that penalty and then didn’t see the ice again after the 10:43 mark of the third period. He sat on the bench for the entire overtime, which ended with 52 seconds remaining when Shea Theodore scored for Vegas.
He played only 11:58 in their Game 3 victory. Peterka has yet to register a point in the postseason and has skated to a minus-3.
“For sure, it was because of his play,” Tourigny said. “I had a discussion with JJ. That discussion will stay inside our room.”
Peterka, 24, had 47 points in 82 games for the Mammoth in the regular season, scoring 25 goals. He was one of the highest-profile acquisitions for the two-year-old franchise last offseason. Utah sent forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring to the Buffalo Sabres for Peterka, who signed a 5-year, $38.5-million contract extension with the Mammoth. His $7.7 million cap hit was the highest for any Mammoth forward in 2025-26.
But the winger had a rocky season under Tourigny. His ice time was reduced from 18:11 on average last season in Buffalo to just 15:59 per game in Utah. His power-play time dropped from 2:55 on average with the Sabres to 1:57 per game with the Mammoth — Peterka scored 22 of his 25 goals at even strength. Since the Olympic break in February, Peterka has averaged just 14:42 in ice time per game, sixth among Utah forwards.
Game 5 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday night in Vegas.
“In the playoffs, you have a good game and a bad game, individually and collectively. What’s important is how you bounce back from that,” Tourigny said. “It can happen to any player. It can happen in any circumstance. In life, it’s not about if you will stumble — you will stumble. It’s how you get better because of it.”
