Durzi Out, Hayton Game-Time Decision in Chicago

THE DETAILS

WHO: Utah (1-1-0) at Chicago (0-2-1)

WHEN: Oct. 13, 2025 – 6:30 p.m. MT

WHERE: United Center

TV: Utah16, Mammoth+

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

MORNING SKATE TAKEAWAYS

Quick Hits from Skate:

• Sean Durzi is out for approximately four weeks with an upper-body injury
• Utah will go with 12 forwards and six defenseman for tonight’s lineup
• Forward Barrett Hayton is a game-time decision. He took line rushes with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz at morning skate and was on the second power play unit.
• Forward Michael Carcone will make his season debut for the Mammoth
• If Hayton doesn’t play, forward Andrew Agozzino will play.

With Hayton potentially returning to the lineup and Durzi out, things shifted around with both the forward group and d-core. Here’s the workflow from the Mammoth’s morning skate:

Powering Up

Forward Nick Schmaltz, who is on Utah’s top power play unit, discussed what the next steps with this area of special teams:

"I think just putting it in the back of the net. I think last game we had some good looks. I think once we pot a few, we'll get some more confidence but I think overall, we had some good looks and we were moving the puck. I think we can do a better job on faceoffs and start with the puck. It helps a lot and kills a lot of time if the team wins the draw and sends it down, you lose about 30 seconds, so I think starting with the puck and then just keep going. We've been together for a while as a unit so I think we're pretty confident and hopefully we can just pot a couple."

Hayton’s Impact

Whenever Hayton returns to the lineup, the Mammoth’s forward group will gain a strong player who contributes in a variety of situations. Head coach André Tourigny discussed what Hayton brings to the games he plays:

“Hayton’s really good at playing inside. He drives the play a lot in terms of on the forecheck, getting on pucks, driving the net on entries, having a net presence (in) the o-zone. I think he’s really good at those things and he’s making plays as well, and he’s good on faceoffs, so he brings a lot.”

The Next Steps

As the Mammoth enter their third game of the season, there’s several areas the group is working on improving. Tourigny gave a status check on what his team needs to continue to work as the season progresses:

“It’s early, we keep working (on) our being in sync, being connected. I think we need to build more speed. We need to attack more as a group of five in all three zones. I think we’re pretty good (in) the neutral zone defensively, tracking (in the) neutral zone, forecheck. We’re pretty good in the d-zone and our d-zone coverage. But all other phases, we have work to do.

"It's every team. There's not one coach right now that's saying 'okay, our team is tuned in and we are playing at our full potential.' That's why it's a long season of 82 games and you need to get better every day."

THE PREVIEW

Monday’s Matchup:

Utah

• The Mammoth look to win their second straight game and end a three-game road trip on a high note. Monday is Utah’s third straight Central Division game with two valuable points on the line.
• Utah’s most recent game, a 3-2 overtime victory in Nashville, was all about the ‘bend, not break’ mentality. Despite taking an early 1-0 lead with Logan Cooley’s goal, the Mammoth were down 2-1 in the third period until Jack McBain tied the game. The Mammoth held on in the final eight minutes of regulation to force overtime. In the extra frame, Utah controlled play and Dylan Guenther’s overtime game-winner secured the full two points.
• Guenther has factored into three of the Mammoth’s four goals to start the year. On a line with JJ Peterka and Logan Cooley, the trio are building chemistry which was seen with Cooley’s goal two minutes into Saturday’s game.
• After Saturday’s win, the Mammoth held a skills practice on Sunday. The team is balancing practice, rest, and games with a busy schedule to start the year.

Chicago

• The Blackhawks are still searching for their first win of the 2025-26 season; however, each one of Chicago’s first three losses have been by one goal. In each of these close games, the score was tied heading into the third period.
• Chicago’s most recent game was a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the Blackhawks’ Home Opener. Both teams traded a pair of goals in the second period, and the game was tied, 2-2, going into the final frame. With 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Kaiden Guhle’s goal secured the win for the Canadiens.
• The 2025-26 Season is Chicago’s 100th season and the team will celebrate the Centennial milestone throughout the year.

By the Numbers:

• Guenther became the fourth player in NHL history to score five overtime goals in the player’s first 150 career games (per NHL PR).
• Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka played his 200th career NHL game against the Predators on Saturday. Utah’s netminder was drafted by Nashville during the 2015 Draft. He was the fourth goaltender from his draft class to reach this milestone, and the third active Czech netminder to hit 200 games (per Utah PR).
• Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar has five points in Chicago’s first three games (1G, 4A). He leads his team with assists (4) and points (5). The forward is the fifth Blackhawks player, 21 or younger, to start a season on a three-game point streak (per Blackhawks website).

Facing the Blackhawks:

• This is the first of four matchups between the Mammoth and Blackhawks this season. The teams will wrap up their season series with three games in 12 days at the start of March.

Season Series:

• Oct. 13: UTA at CHI
• Mar. 1: UTA vs CHI
• Mar. 9: UTA at CHI
• Mar. 12: UTA vs CHI

Upcoming Schedule:

• Oct 15: UTA vs CGY – Home Opener
• Oct 17: UTA vs SJS
• Oct 19: UTA vs BOS