Utah Faces Florida on Second Half of Back-to-Back

THE DETAILS

WHO: Utah (27-21-4) vs Florida (28-20-3)

WHEN: Jan. 27, 2026 – 5:00 p.m. MT

WHERE: Amerant Bank Arena

TV: Utah16, Mammoth+

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

MORNING SKATE NOTES

• Head coach André Tourigny shared there are several game time decisions.
• Tuesday night is the first time defenseman Nate Schmidt and goaltender Vítek Vaněček will play in Florida since winning the Stanley Cup with the Panthers last season. This is forward Kevin Stenlund’s second time back in Florida since he won with them in 2024.

Facing the Cats

It’ll be another tight matchup when the Mammoth and Panthers play tonight. The first matchup this season was a one-goal loss for Utah. Florida is a tight checking, high pressure team and the Mammoth are focused on the challenge ahead.

“Just knowing that game play and being ready for it,” Associate Captain Lawson Crouse said. “Being sharp mentally, being an option quick, and knowing your options quick. If you have that mindset when they’re willing to take away time and space, you (have to) be able to kind of work around it.”

“It’s 60 minutes of fight,” Tourigny said of Florida. “There’s no breather. They don’t even let you change. They don’t let you save the puck. They apply pressure all the time. I think it’s a mindset and I like the challenge. I like when we have to play that way, I think it’s where we’re at our best and that’s the kind of team we want to be. So those are our measuring stick. I think yesterday we passed the first one, we’ll have this one tonight, and again against Carolina.”

The Mammoth brought a strong mindset last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Crouse explained that mindset is how the team needs to play the rest of the season.

“Our willingness to play the right way,” Crouse said of what they can take from yesterday’s mindset. "That's the way that we’re going to have to play for the rest of the year and we gotta do that again tonight.”

Champs are Back

Defenseman Nate Schmidt and goaltender Vítek Vaněček make their first trip back to Florida since they won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers last season. The Mammoth had the same situation last season when forward Kevin Stenlund made his return. It’s an extra layer of excitement surrounding the game.

“Last time they played here, that’s a lot of good memories for them,” Tourigny shared. “I think they’re a big part of our team. We really like them and we’re really happy to have them. I’m sure there’s a lot of emotion today.”

THE PREVIEW

Tonight’s Matchup

Utah

• Utah is 27-21-4 this season and is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games. Currently the Mammoth are fourth in the Central Division with 58 points.
• The Mammoth lost their most recent game, 2-0, to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • Utah had a strong game defensively and held one of the NHL’s top offenses to just two power play goals, one of which was in the final minute of the game.
  • Goaltender Karel Vejmelka had a strong outing and stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced.
• Dylan Guenther’s 24 goals lead the team while Clayton Keller’s 34 assists and 50 points are team-highs. Nick Schmaltz’s 18 goals and 46 points are the second most on the Mammoth while Mikhail Sergachev’s 29 assists are second to Keller.
• Since Vejmelka played on the front half of the back-to-back, it’s likely Vítek Vaněček will get the start against his former team. He has a 2-9-2 record with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage.
• Tuesday’s game is the third of four-straight on the road trip. Utah’s final game is against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

Florida

• Florida is 28-20-3 this season and is 6-4-0 in its last 10 games. Currently the Panthers are sixth in the Atlantic Division with 59 points.
• The Panthers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 in their most recent game.
  • Tobias Bjornfot scored twice in the win while Mackie Samoskevich, Carter Verhaeghe, and Sam Reinhart (EN) each had a goal in the win.
  • Tarasov stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced.
• Sam Reinhart’s 26 goals and 50 points lead the Panthers while his 24 assists are tied with Brad Marchand for second. Marchand’s 25 goals are second on the team as are his 49 points. Carter Verhaeghe’s 25 assists lead Florida.
• Florida’s starting goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky has a 20-14-1 record with a 3.08 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage. Tarasov, the other half of the goaltending tandem, has an 8-6-2 record, a 2.53 goals against average, and a .909 save percentage.
• The Panthers hit the road for one game against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, before returning home for a three-game homestand.

By the Numbers

• The Mammoth and the Panthers are tied for the seventh-most third period goals in the NHL (63).
• Utah’s seven overtime goals are tied for third-most in the NHL.
• Florida enters Tuesday’s game with the ninth-best penalty kill in the NHL. The Panthers have killed off 82.2% of their penalties this season.
• Bobrovsky’s 10 wins at home this season are tied for the 10th most in the NHL. He is one of 13 goaltenders to have 10 or more wins this season.

Against Florida This Season

• This is the second and final game between the Mammoth and the Panthers this season.
• Utah lost the first game, 4-3, on Dec. 10.

Season Series

• Dec. 10: FLA vs UTA – Game Recap
• Jan. 27: UTA vs FLA

Upcoming Schedule

• Jan. 29: UTA vs CAR
• Jan. 31: DAL vs UTA
• Feb. 2: VAN vs UTA