Utah Faces Colorado Before Holiday Break

THE DETAILS

WHO: Utah (18-17-3) vs Colorado (26-2-7)

WHEN: Dec. 23, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. MT

WHERE: Ball Arena

TV: Utah16, Mammoth+

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

MORNING SKATE NOTES

• Check back after the Mammoth’s morning skate at 11:30 a.m. MT.

THE PREVIEW

Tonight’s Matchup

Utah

• Utah enters Tuesday’s game with a 18-17-3 record. The Mammoth are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games and have three wins in their last five.
• The Mammoth secured two divisional points with a 4-3 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets.
  • Utah had a 3-1 lead entering the third period; however, Winnipeg scored two goals in 25 seconds to tie the game late in the final frame. However, Mammoth captain Clayton Keller’s game-winning goal 13 seconds into overtime secured two points.
  • Karel Vejmelka stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced and now has won 16 games this season.
• Dylan Guenther’s 16 goals are a team-high as are Mikhail Sergachev’s 21 assists. Keller and Nick Schmaltz are tied for the most points on the Mammoth with 32.
• Vejmelka has a 16-10-2 record through 29 games played. Utah’s starting goaltender has a 2.70 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. Vítek Vaněček, the other half of the goaltending tandem, has a 2-7-1 record, a 2.99 goals against average, and a .873 save percentage.
• Tuesday is the team’s final game before the winter break. Following the break, Utah will host the Nashville Predators on Dec. 29.

Colorado

• Colorado enters Tuesday’s game with a 26-2-7 record. The Avalanche are 8-1-1 in their last ten games. The team is riding a five-game win streak and an eight-game points streak.
• The Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 in their most recent game.
  • After Martin Necas scored late in the first period, the Avalanche never looked back. A pair of power play goals from Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar increased Colorado’s lead to 3-0 in the second period. Although Minnesota scored 5:15 into the third period, Brock Nelson and MacKinnon (EN) scored in the final frame to secure two points.
  • Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced in the win.
• MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 30 goals and 61 points. Cale Makar’s 32 assists are a team-high and his 43 points are third on the team. Martin Necas is second with 16 goals, tied for second with 31 assists, and second with 47 points.
• The Avalanche have a strong goaltending tandem with Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Blackwood has a 11-1-1 record with a 2.16 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. Wedgewood has a 15-1-4 record with a 2.10 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
• Colorado will travel to Vegas to face the Golden Knights on Dec. 27 right after the holiday break.

By the Numbers

• Utah is allowing the second-fewest shots against per game, as the Mammoth allow 25.1 shots per game on average. Colorado is tied for the ninth-fewest shots (27.1).
• The Avalanche have scored the second-most third period goals (49) while the Mammoth are tied for the third-most (44).
• MacKinnon is the first player in the NHL to score 30 goals this season. He leads the league in that category and plus/minus (+45).
• Guenther’s five game winning goals and three overtime goals are tied for most in the NHL.

Against Colorado This Season

• 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

Upcoming Schedule

• Dec. 29: NSH vs UTA
• Jan. 1: UTA vs NYI
• Jan. 3: UTA vs NJD