Utah Starts Back-to-Back in Montreal
The Mammoth face the Canadiens for the first time this season
PRE-GAME VIDEO
COACH INTERVIEW: André Tourigny | |
TUSK TALK: Matchup in Montreal |
The Mammoth face a skilled Canadiens team for a Saturday night matchup in Montreal
MORNING SKATE NOTES
- The Mammoth had two line changes at morning skate: Logan Cooley centered Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz while Barrett Hayton joined JJ Peterka and Dylan Guenther
- Utah’s power play units changed as well with Kevin Stenlund joining PP1 and Guenther joining PP2
Changes Tonight
By switching the centers on the top two lines, the Mammoth will have a different look tonight. Head coach André Tourigny discussed the changes and what he hopes to see.
“Try to bring a little bit of energy in both of them,” Tourigny said. “Cooley brings a lot of speed and Hayton is a really good net presence, so I think (he) could be a good mix with (Peterka) and Guenther. We like the way (McBain’s) line and (Stenlund’s) line are playing so just trying to create a little spark there.”
All players on both the Cooley and Hayton lines have played together in some form, and that familiarity will help. Cooley and Guenther discussed the changes following Saturday’s morning skate.
“Three skilled players, (we) can make a lot of plays and I’m excited to be with them,” Cooley said of the change. “They’re obviously cooking right now and (we’ll) try to get a spark here for our group, generate a little more offensively, and I think that’s what we could expect tonight.”
“(Hayton has a) super predictable, consistent game,” Guenther explained. “He’s super good down low, wins a ton of puck battles, wins a lot of faceoffs. I think we can have some success. (Peterka) brings a lot of speed. Me and (Hayton and Carcone) played together for a little bit last year. I feel like it’s a pretty similar dynamic so I’m excited.”
In addition to the top-six changes, there were different power play units at today’s morning skate. Kevin Stenlund joined Cooley, Keller, Schmaltz, and Mikhail Sergachev on PP1 while Guenther moved to PP2. Tourigny explained why the team made those changes.
“We want to have two units balanced … we need a little bit of consistency in our special teams,” Tourigny said. “Try to give a different look and see how (Stenlund) can look and spread a little bit of our faceoff power. (Stenlund) is really good on his faceoff on one unit and then (Hayton) on the other unit, so give us a chance to start with the puck if possible.”
Facing Montreal
There are few buildings more legendary than Centre Bell. To play a Saturday night game in Montreal is always an exciting atmosphere. The team on the ice is just as exciting. The Canadiens are playing some strong hockey and tonight’s game will be a fun matchup.
“They have a lot of skilled players,” Cooley said of Montreal. “Guys like to make a lot of plays, and they’re good defensively too. They’re playing some good hockey right now. We got to match their intensity and it’s going to be a really good game, and I’m excited to go (play) tonight.”
“Try to be disciplined,” Guenther said of tonight’s focus. “You know how fast they are, just making sure we’re above them, we’re changing at the right time. They’re playing really well too so it’ll be a fun game.”
“We have a ton of respect for them,” Tourigny explained. “Their numbers, their underlying numbers and every metric they have is really good, so it’ll be a good test for us."
Mr. 600
Associate Captain Lawson Crouse will play his 600th NHL game tonight. It’s a significant milestone for the forward who has 117 goals and 102 assists for 219 points through 599 games. Crouse’s impact off the ice is significant as well.
“He’s a great leader,” Guenther said of Crouse. “Probably the main guy who I leaned on first coming in the league. That’s a great accomplishment. It’s not easy to play in this league and 600 games, that’s a lot of matches so that’s really exciting.”
THE PREVIEW
Saturday’s Matchup
Utah
- Utah starts a back-to-back in Montreal and the Mammoth are looking to bounce back from a 5-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. The team is 9-5-0 this season but 2-3-0 in their last five games.
- A three-goal third period led the Maple Leafs to a 5-3 win over the Mammoth in the second half of a back-to-back. All three of Utah’s goals were in the final minutes of each period. Michael Carcone scored with 1:11 left in the first, Mikhail Sergachev scored with 3:33 left, and Dylan Guenther scored with 1:07 left in regulation. Vítek Vaněček stopped 14 of the 18 shots he faced.
- Nick Schmaltz and Logan Cooley are tied for the team-lead with eight goals each while Schmaltz leads the team with 10 assists and 18 points. Captain Clayton Keller is fourth with five goals, second with nine assists, and second with 14 points.
- Karel Vejmelka is Utah’s starting goaltender, and has played 10 of the team’s first 14 games. With a 7-3-0 record, Vejmelka has a 2.60 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. Vítek Vaněček has played four games, has a 2-2-0 record, a 2.52 goals against average, and a .885 save percentage.
- Saturday is the third of four-straight on the road for the Mammoth. Following, the team will travel to Ottawa to face the Senators Sunday night. Utah returns home to host the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders next week before going back on the road.
Montreal
- Montreal kicks off a four-game homestand against Utah. The Canadiens have lost their last two games in overtime and a shootout; however, the team has points in five straight games.
- On Thursday, the Canadiens fell to the New Jersey Devils 4-3, in overtime. After Montreal took a 3-2 lead halfway through the third period, Timo Meier’s goal with 1:07 left in regulation tied the game. Jesper Bratt’s goal on a breakaway in overtime secured the win for the Devils. Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, and Oliver Kapanen scored for the Canadiens in the loss. Jakub Dobes stopped 24 of the 28 saves he faced.
- Cole Caufield leads the Canadiens with 10 goals while Nick Suzuki’s 16 assists and 19 points are a team-high. Caufield’s 16 points are second-most on the team.
- In net, Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes have each played seven games. Montembeault has a 3-3-1 record, a 3.67 goals against average, and a .855 save percentage. Dobes has a 6-0-1 record, a 2.25 goals against average, and a .920 save percentage.
- The Canadiens will host the Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, and the Boston Bruins for the rest of the four-game homestand.
By the Numbers
- Utah is allowing the fewest shots in the NHL (24.0) while the Mammoth are tied for the sixth-most shots per game in the league (29.4).
- The Mammoth’s 29 goals on the road are second-most in the NHL (9GP). Utah trails the Anaheim Ducks who have 33 through eight road games.
- The Canadiens have the fifth-best power play in the NHL. Montreal scores on 29.3% of their power play opportunities and the team has scored seven goals in their last five games. Juraj Slafkovský leads Montreal with four power play goals.
- Montreal is averaging the third most goals for per game in the NHL (3.64). On the flip side, they’re allowing the 19th fewest goals against per game in the league (3.14).
- Utah is averaging the ninth most goals for per game in the NHL (3.36) while allowing the 11th fewest goals against per game in the league (2.86).
Against Montreal This Season
- This is the first of two games between the Mammoth and the Canadiens this season. Saturday’s game is the only one in Montreal this year and both games will take place in November.
Season Series
- Nov. 8: UTA at MTL
- Nov. 26: UTA vs MTL
Upcoming Schedule
- Nov. 9: UTA at OTT
- Nov. 12: UTA vs BUF
- Nov. 14: UTA vs NYI
