Utah Hosts Pittsburgh for Saturday Showdown

THE DETAILS

WHO: Pittsburgh (32-18-15) vs Utah (34-26-6)

WHEN: Mar. 14, 2026 – 7:00 p.m. MT

WHERE: Delta Center

TV: Utah16, Mammoth+

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

MORNING SKATE NOTES

• Head coach André Tourigny shared he doesn’t expect any lineup changes from Thursday’s game.

• The Mammoth are looking to build off of Thursday’s game with their game against the Penguins tonight.

Building Blocks

Although Utah only picked up one out of two points in Thursday night’s game, the Mammoth liked their physicality, effort, and execution. The next step will be capitalizing on more chances while staying consistent in their effort.

“Liked our physicality, our intensity, we were connected, we generated a lot of slot shots, a lot of opportunities,” Tourigny explained. “If there’s something we would have loved to do a little bit better, it’s hitting the net on our Grade-A chances. A lot of Grade-A chances. We were not opportunistic. We didn’t bury them, all the rest, I think (the way) we played was a good step in the right direction.”

Facing the Penguins

Pittsburgh will be a tough test. The Penguins have strong metrics across the board as they’re scoring the eighth-most goals while holding opponents to the ninth-fewest. Pittsburgh has the second-best penalty kill and the sixth-best power play. However, playing their game will help the Mammoth against the visiting team’s threats.

“Pittsburgh (has a) really relentless work ethic,” Tourigny shared. “They generate a lot of offense, obviously they have defensemen who can move the puck and find sticks in the slot so it will be our coverage from the net, our box out will be really important and our pace and physicality which we want to build on what we did against Chicago.”

Focused on the Final Stretch

In addition to Saturday’s matchup, Utah is focused on strong performances down the final stretch of the regular season. The Mammoth hold a playoff spot but need to keep collecting points to book a postseason berth.

“Every game here, regardless of who we’re playing, is going to be a game that we have the ability to ramp up our focus, our determination,” defenseman Ian Cole shared. “I think that, as we’re going towards the postseason here, we need to continue to do that every game.”

THE PREVIEW

Tonight’s Matchup

Utah

• Utah is 34-26-6 this season and 5-3-2 over the last 10 games. The Mammoth are looking to snap a three-game losing skid; however, the team has points in five of their last six games.

• With 74 points, the Mammoth are in the first wild card spot and are fourth in the Central Division.

• In their most recent game, the Mammoth lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime, 3-2. Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka scored in the loss while Karel Vejmelka stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced.

• Guenther’s 31 goals are a team-high and his 56 points are third. Captain Clayton Keller’s 45 assists and 64 points lead the Mammoth. Nick Schmaltz’s 24 goals, 35 assists, and 59 points are second-most on the team.

• Vejmelka has played the majority of Utah’s games this season. He has a 30-17-3 record, a 2.69 goals-against average, and a .898 save percentage. Vítek Vaněček has a 4-9-3 record, a 2.74 goals-against average, and a .889 save percentage.

• Utah’s next two games are on the road as the Mammoth face the Dallas Stars on Monday and the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.

Pittsburgh

• Pittsburgh is 32-18-15 this season and is 4-3-3 over the last 10 games. The Penguins are on a two-game losing skid; however, they’ve picked up points in three of the last five games.

• With 79 points, the Penguins are second in the Metropolitan Division and hold one a playoff spot.

• Pittsburgh fell 6-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Penguins’ most recent game. Rickard Rakell and Ben Kindel scored for the Penguins. Arturs Silos stopped 11 of the 16 shots he faced.

• Captain Sidney Crosby’s 27 goals and 59 points are team-highs. His 32 assists are third-most on the team. Erik Karlsson’s 38 assists lead the Penguins. Anthony Mantha’s 24 goals are second-most on the team and Bryan Rust’s 50 points are second.

• Stuart Skinner and Artus Silovs make up Pittsburgh’s goaltender tandem. Skinner has a 19-13-8 record, a 2.77 goals-against average, and a .891 save percentage. Silovs has a 14-9-8 record, 2.93 goals-against average, and a .894 save percentage.

• The game against the Mammoth is the third of five games on this road trip. The Penguins will face the Colorado Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes to wrap the trip.

By the Numbers

• Utah’s Dylan Guenther set a franchise record for most goals in a single season (31). He has the second most go-ahead goals in the NHL (16).

• Pittsburgh’s penalty kill is second in the NHL (84.5%) while their power play is sixth in the league (24.7%).

• The Penguins are scoring the eighth-most goals per game (3.35) while holding opponents to the ninth-fewest goals per game (2.91). The Mammoth are limiting teams to the sixth-fewest goals (2.79) and are scoring the 17^th most goals per game (3.11).

• Utah is tied for the third-fewest first period goals against (47) while Pittsburgh is tied for the third-most first period goals (70). 

Against Pittsburgh This Season

• This is the second and final game between the Mammoth and the Penguins. 

• Utah won the first meeting in overtime, 5-4. The Mammoth had four third period goals to overcome a 3-0 deficit and Dylan Guenther scored the overtime winner.

Season Series

• Dec. 14: UTA vs PIT – Game Recap

• Mar. 14: PIT vs UTA

Upcoming Schedule

• Mar. 16: UTA vs DAL

• Mar. 19: UTA vs VGK

• Mar. 20: ANA vs UTA