To say it’s been a busy two and a half months to start the 2025-26 season would be an understatement. Through the first 74 days of the season, Utah has played 38 games, 22 of which have been on the road.
After a sprint to start this year’s schedule, the Mammoth get a well-deserved three-day holiday break this week. Before the team can enjoy the holidays, Utah has one final game, in Colorado, on Tuesday. Let’s take a look at that matchup!
Main Storylines – Utah
- Utah enters the week with three wins in their last five games and some strong performances in recent games. As of Monday, the Mammoth are fourth in the Central Division with 39 points.
- Alexander Kerfoot is back in the lineup after missing the first 36 games of the season. Through his first two games, he’s scored a goal, participated on the Mammoth’s penalty kill, and brought his high skill and compete to both contests.
- As of Monday, Utah has the seventh-best penalty kill in the NHL and have killed off 82.6% of their penalties this season.
- Entering the week, Dylan Guenther leads the Mammoth with 16 goals while Mikhail Sergachev’s 21 assists are a team-high. Captain Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz are tied for the team-lead with 32 points each.
- The Mammoth have five players with 10 or more goals this season and 21 skaters with at least a goal. Six of Utah’s players have over 20 points through 38 games.
- Utah has one game this week, Tuesday in Colorado against the Avalanche, before the winter break.
Injury Updates – Utah
- F Logan Cooley – lower-body injury, out minimum eight weeks
- D Juuso Välimäki – lower-body, injured non-roster
- G Anson Thorton – lower-body, injured non-roster
UTAH AT COLORADO
DEC 23 | 7:00 P.M. MT
WATCH: Utah16, Mammoth+
LISTEN: KSL Sports Zone (97.5FM/1280AM), KSL Sports App, NHL App, NHL.com
This is the third of four meetings between the Mammoth and the Avalanche this season. Utah lost the first game, 2-1, but won the second matchup in overtime, 4-3.
Season Series
- Oct. 9: UTA vs COL – Game Recap
- Oct. 21: COL vs UTA – Game Recap
- Dec. 23: UTA vs COL
- Feb. 25: COL vs UTA
Main Storylines – Colorado
- Colorado is the top team in the NHL with 59 points through 35 games. The Avalanche are on a five-game win streak and have points in eight-straight.
- The Avalanche are averaging the most goals per game (4.03) while allowing the fewest in the league (2.17). They also have the best penalty kill in the league and have killed off 85% of their penalties (all statistics from Monday).
- Colorado has five players with 10 or more goals this season and 19 skaters with a goal or more.
- Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL and the Avalanche with 30 goals. He’s the first player to hit that mark this season. Cale Makar’s 31 assists are a team-high as are MacKinnon’s 61 points.
- Colorado’s final game before the holiday break is against the Mammoth on Tuesday. Following the break, the Avalanche travel to Vegas to face the Golden Knights on Dec. 27.
Injury Updates – Colorado
- F Logan O’Connor – hip, IR
