The Week Ahead: Dec. 1-7

The Utah Mammoth kick off December on the road with four games this week. Here’s the major storylines going into the week:

Main Storylines – Utah

• Utah has four games remaining on their six-game road trip to start the month.
• The Mammoth are looking to bounce back with a strong week. Utah has lost their last three games. However, the team has earned points in six of their last 10 games.
• It’s a busy December for the Mammoth. The team will play 14 games this month, including 13 contests over 23 games. Eight of those 13 games are on the road.
• Logan Cooley has five goals and seven total points in his last five games. He had four games on Nov. 24 against the Vegas Golden Knights and now leads the team with 14 goals.
• Following this week’s four games, the team returns home for a three-game homestand.

Injury Updates – Utah

• F Alexander Kerfoot – lower-body injury, IR
• D Juuso Valimaki – lower-body, injured non-roster
• D Olli Määttä – undisclosed, IR
• G Anson Thorton – lower-body, injured non-roster

Let's take a look at this week's matchups!

UTAH AT SAN JOSE

DEC 1 | 8:00 P.M. MT

WATCH: Utah16, Mammoth+

LISTEN: Utah Mammoth App, KSL Sports Zone (97.5FM/1280AM), KSL Sports App, NHL App, NHL.com

This is the third and final game between Utah and San Jose this season. It’s also the second straight game in San Jose.

Season Series

• Oct. 17: UTA vs SJS – Game Recap
• Nov. 18: UTA at SJS – Game Recap
• Dec. 1: UTA at SJS

Main Storylines – San Jose

• San Jose starts the week at home before heading on the road for the second half of the week. Like the Mammoth, they have four games this week.
• The Sharks have won four of their last seven games. Five of those contests were one-goal games as the team continues to be a competitive challenge.
• Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith continue to shine bright for the Sharks. Heading into the week, Celebrini leads the team in all scoring categories, while Smith is second in goals, assists, and points.
• The Sharks have the 14th best penalty kill in the NHL (81.1%) and the 18th best power play (18.9%) entering the week.
• San Jose is fifth in the Pacific Division with 27 points.

Injury Updates – San Jose

• F Jeff Skinner – lower-body injury
• F Michael Misa – lower-body
• D Vincent Desharnais – upper-body, IR

UTAH AT ANAHEIM

DEC 3 | 8:00 P.M. MT

WATCH: TNT, truTV, HBO Max

LISTEN: Utah Mammoth App, KSL Sports Zone (97.5FM/1280AM), KSL Sports App, NHL App, NHL.com

This is the second of three games between the Mammoth and the Ducks this season. It’s also the second, and final, in California this year.

Season Series

• Nov. 17 – UTA at ANA – Game Recap
• Dec. 3: UTA at ANA
• Mar. 20: UTA vs ANA

Main Storylines – Anaheim

• The Ducks start the week on the road before returning home for the other three games this week. Anaheim’s game against Utah is the first of a three-game homestand.
• Anaheim is off to a hot start to the year and enters the week at the top of the Pacific Division with 31 points. The team has a 15-9-1 record as of Monday morning.
• The Ducks have a high-powered offense that is averaging the second-most goals per game in the NHL (3.60). The team also has the 16th best power play in the league (20%)
• Similar to the Sharks, the Ducks have some young talent lighting up the scoresheet. Leo Carlsson has 34 points (13G, 21A) through the first 25 games of the year while Cutter Gauthier has 30 points through that span (15G, 15A).

Injury Updates – Anaheim

• F Mikael Granlund – lower-body, IR
• G Lukas Dostal – upper-body, IR
• G Petr Mrazek – lower-body

UTAH AT VANCOUVER

DEC 5 | 8:00 P.M. MT

WATCH: Utah16, Mammoth+

LISTEN: Utah Mammoth App, KSL Sports Zone (97.5FM/1280AM), KSL Sports App, NHL App, NHL.com

This is the first of three games between the Mammoth and Canucks this season. It’s also the first of two in Vancouver.

Season Series

• Dec. 5: UTA at VAN
• Feb. 2: UTA vs VAN
• Apr. 4: UTA at VAN

Main Storylines – Vancouver

• Vancouver has three games this week, and the Canucks start a four-game homestand when they host the Mammoth on Friday.
• As of Monday, the Canucks have points in two of their last three games and went 1-1-1 in that span. However, Vancouver is looking for a strong December after going 2-5-3 in their last 10 games. The team has a 10-13-3 record.
• The Canucks power play is 15th in the NHL and has scored on 20.9% of their opportunities.
• Vancouver is seventh in the Pacific Division with 23 points.

Injury Updates – Vancouver

• F Nils Höglander – LTIR
• F Filip Chytil – IR
• F Jonathan Lekkerimäki – IR
• F Teddy Blueger – IR
• D Derek Forbort – IR

UTAH AT CALGARY

DEC 6 | 5:00 P.M. MT

WATCH: Utah16, Mammoth+

LISTEN: Utah Mammoth App, KSL Sports Zone (97.5FM/1280AM), KSL Sports App, NHL App, NHL.com

This is the second of three games between the Mammoth and the Flames this season. It’s the first of two in Calgary this year.

Season Series

• Oct. 15: UTA vs CGY – Game Recap
• Dec. 6: UTA at CGY
• Apr. 12: UTA at CGY

Main Storylines – Calgary

• Calgary has three games this week, two of which are at home. The Flames start a four-game homestand on Thursday and will host the Mammoth in the second-straight at home.
• Entering the week, the Flames have points in five of their last six games. The team went 5-3-2 in their last ten games and have 9-14-4 on Monday.
• The Flames have the 10th best penalty kill in the NHL (81.8%) and are allowing the 18th fewest goals against in the league (2.96).
• Calgary is eighth in the Pacific Division with 22 points.

Injury Updates – Calgary

• F Sam Honzek – upper-body, out for six months
• F Martin Pospisil – undisclosed
• D Zayne Parekh – upper-body