Utah Faces Columbus in Saturday Showdown

THE DETAILS

WHO: Utah (33-25-4) vs Columbus (32-21-8)

WHEN: Mar. 7, 2026 – 5:00 p.m. MT

WHERE: Nationwide Arena

TV: Utah16, Mammoth+

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

MORNING SKATE NOTES

• Head coach André Tourigny said there are several game time decisions.

• The Mammoth will kick off a stretch of three games in the next four days to wrap up a five-game road trip.

Facing Columbus

Utah is facing a strong opponent in Columbus. The Blue Jackets are one of the strongest teams in the league and have threats up and down the lineup. Head coach André Tourigny and center Logan Cooley discussed Columbus’ challenges following morning skate.

“Columbus, since we’ve played them, are the best team in the league by winning percentage,” Tourigny shared. “For us, it’s about making sure we’re respecting their offense, their (defensemen) are very active and they’re all good puck movers. They’re a threat. That’s one, and two, they’re (stingier) defensively so it will be important for us to have traffic in there, and to play with the pace we’re capable of to take time and space away from them.”

“They have some skilled guys that can make a lot of plays,” Cooley explained. “Some good (defensemen) that like to jump in the rush so got to be aware of their top players and try to limit their time and space. But I think at the end of the day, it comes down to when we’re playing with pace when we’re playing our game, focusing on us and what we need to do to take over this game.”

THE PREVIEW

Tonight’s Matchup

Utah

• Utah is 33-25-4 this season and is 6-4-0 over the last 10 games. The Mammoth have won their last two-straight games.

• The Mammoth are fourth in the Central Division with 70 points. Currently, the team is in the first wild card spot.

• In their most recent game, Utah beat Philadelphia, 3-0. Nick Schmaltz’s power play goal was his 24th of the season, a new career-high. Vítek Vaněček earned his first shutout with the Mammoth and recorded his 100^th career NHL win. Captain Clayton Keller and Michael Carcone (EN) also scored in the win.

• Dylan Guenther leads Utah with 28 goals. Keller’s 42 assists and 61 points are team-highs. Schmaltz is second in all three categories with 24 goals, 34 assists, and 58 points.

• Karel Vejmelka has a 29-16-2 record with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Vaněček has a 4-9-2 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage.

• Utah will end a five-game road trip with a back-to-back. Up first, the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday and the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Columbus

• Columbus is 32-21-8 this season and is 8-1-1 in the last 10 games. The Blue Jackets have won three-straight and have points in nine of the last 10 contests.

• The Blue Jackets are a point out of the second wild card spot and three points out of the first wild card spot. Columbus is fourth in the Metropolitan Division and are three points behind the third place New York Islanders.

• In their most recent game, the Blue Jackets beat the Florida Panthers, 4-2. Mathieu Olivier scored twice while Ivan Provorov (PPG) and Boone Jenner each added a goal. Jet Greaves stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced.

• Kirill Marchenko’s 22 goals lead the team while his 52 points are second on the team. Zach Werenski’s 45 assists and 65 points are team-highs.

• Greaves has a 20-12-7 record, a 2.63 goals-against average, and .909 save percentage. Elvis Merzlikins, the other half of Columbus’ goaltender tandem, has a 12-9-1 record, a 3.47 goals-against average, and a .887 save percentage.

• The Blue Jackets wrap up a four-game homestand on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings.

By the Numbers

• Utah’s power play has scored seven times in the last seven games and are converting on 36.8% of the opportunities in that span (7-for-19).

• Columbus is averaging the fifth-most shots on goal per game (29.9). Utah is averaging the 19^th most shots on goal per game (25.8). The Blue Jackets are allowing the sixth-most shots on goal per game (30.0) while the Mammoth are allowing the fifth-fewest shots (25.8).

• Both teams have over 10 comeback wins this season. The Mammoth have 13 while the Blue Jackets have 12.

Against Columbus This Season

• This is the second and final game of the season series between Utah and Columbus.

• The Blue Jackets won the first game in overtime, 3-2.

Season Series

• Jan. 11: CBJ vs UTA – Game Recap

• Mar. 7: UTA vs CBJ

Upcoming Schedule

• Mar. 9: UTA vs CHI

• Mar. 10: UTA vs MIN

• Mar. 12: CHI vs UTA