^{Utah looks to add 2 points against the clinched top lottery picking Canucks}

Thursday, the Utah Mammoth made a statement in the playoff race. That statement game took 2 points away from a Seattle Kraken team that was trying to claw their way into the race and used those points to put even more distance between themselves and the #8 spot. There currently is a logjam at the wildcard 2 spot, with 3 teams tied with 79 points, and another 2 still within striking distance with 76.

Tonight, Utah takes on the floundering Orcas up in Vancouver. Already clinching the worst record in the league, the Vancouver Canucks only have pride to play for, but they are playing hard for it. The other day, Vancouver shocked the Colorado Avalanche with an 8-6 win in Denver.

Why will the Canucks even show up?
That’s a good question. The Vancouver Canucks haven’t been competitive this year at all, and they punted on the season early on. In the biggest move in the NHL all year, the Canucks traded away superstar Quinn Hughes in December. They’ve basically tanked since, though not an official “tank” as opposed to just are plain bad.

Since trading Hughes, the team as a whole has just been listless. Not a single player has come close to sniffing a point per game – the best of the bunch, Brock Boeser, has the second most points on the team in that stretch, and best points per game average… but is also a team worst -29. Boeser for the year is -40, the second worst rating in the NHL. Hey, at least he gave the Canucks fans something to cheer for, with their first and likely only 20 goal scorer on the roster.

Can you believe we have Dylan Guenther signed for cheaper and longer than Boeser?

Elias Pettersson is less NHL Calder Trophy winning Superstar, and more Molly Shannon talent show winning Superstar. $11.6 million bought the Canucks 15 goals and 48 total points, a whole 3 points higher than his last year’s stats. Removing the distractions that were reportedly keeping him down have done nothing to revive his career. In the 131 games since October 2024, Pettersson’s put up fewer points than his career year that earned him that gigantic contract. He had nearly as many shorthanded points scored in 2022 as he has goals in 2026.

Can you believe that we have Logan Cooley signed for longer and cheaper than Elias Pettersson?

The Canucks are saddled with dead weight in cap space, with their better scoring options unable to backcheck and support a defensive corps that wasn’t great even with Quinn Hughes, and the defense now is led by Zeev Buium in his rookie year, taking 20+ minutes a night (and going -18 since the trade) and Filip Hronek, who had all his warts exposed now that he wasn’t paired with a generational talent in Hughes. Buium has good upside, but playing 20 minutes a night as a rookie defenseman on a top line only works if your last name is Schaefer.

At least the Canucks have good goaltending. And by that I mean, they have one guy on the roster that’s under 3.00 GAA, and that’s Thatcher Demko with a 2.90 who last played in January before his injury. Kevin Lankinen has been great as a stat-pad for opposing forwards, giving up just under 4 goals per game and rocking an .873 without Hughes to help give the defense a boost.

Key points to secure a victory today:
Admiral Akbar Says “It’s a trap!” and he could be right.

Tonight, Utah plays a team that’s dead in the water. They’ve got a travel day back home, and upcoming game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. The Oilers are a potential – and likely – first round matchup for the Mammoth in a game that could potentially be a playoff clincher for them (depending on a number of variables).

Tonight is an important game for Utah, but not one for Vancouver. Vancouver has pride to play for in front of a home crowd, but they’re just playing simple hockey with nothing on the line. They’re not looking past a Utah team to a harder matchup, because the hardest matchup they’ll be facing all year is who gets to drive the golf cart.

With the pressure off the Canucks, and with the potential for a trap game, Utah will need to be focused and come out strong – much better of a first period than they had against Seattle. No early goals, no rusty legs.

The Mammoth need to recognize that at least one of the teams behind them is guaranteed 2 points tonight, as the Nashville Predators play the San Jose Sharks. Then, they know the Kings will at least get one loser point, but likely both since they play an equally hapless team as the Mammoth tonight in the Maple Leafs.

Focus is critical to prevent falling into a trap.

Killer Whale The resurgence of Logan Cooley the past few games has been a sight to behold. It’s amazing what can happen when you put your most skilled, fastest, and most talented center on a top power play line. 3 power play goals in 3 games, with 2 multi-goal games sprinkled in there. Absolutely best time of the year to come on strong.

The Mammoth, a strong 5v5 team, have only really scored about half of their goals at even strength the past 3 games. 7PPGs makes Utah’s power play one of the best in the league all of a sudden. It’s a small sample size, but I’ll take it.

Without Hughes, the Canucks have the worst penalty kill in the league. Look for the power play to have a whale of a game tonight and continue their goals scored per game streak to hopefully continue.

Fillet a Fish The best way to fillet a fish is also the simplest way. That’s gotta be how the Mammoth see the gameplan for tonight.

The Mammoth have a massive skill gap with this iteration of the Vancouver Canucks. Overthinking things – or overlooking them – are both problematic. Simplicity is the name of the game today. No complicated matchups or schemes need to be drawn up today. Andre Tourigny doesn’t need to make complicated line matchup pairings. All Utah needs to do is play their style of hockey – shot suppression, fast transition, and let Cooley and Guenther and Keller do their things on their respective lines.

Each group has a simple task to do:
Forwards: Skate north to south and get pucks on net. Don’t make blind passes unless you’re absolutely sure, and just apply pressure without needing to rush shots.

Defense: Don’t give up odd-man rushes. Defend the middle of the ice. Don’t pinch aggressively unless you’re entirely sure you’ve got coverage behind you from a forward. Watch out for DeBrusk and Boeser as the only currently legitimate threats.

Goaltending: Stretch in the pre-game. Stay hydrated. Watch out for their power play if and when they get chances, because that’s where they can hurt you a bit. Also stay hydrated, for real.

Projected Lineups:
Jack McBain is out after his big shot block against Seattle, so Alexander Kerfoot will slide into his spot. Liam O’Brien’s the break glass in case of emergency option, with MacKenzie Weegar off tonight for a potential upper body injury.

We’ll see how serious things are with both when we get back to the Delta Center for Tuesday’s game, but for tonight we have:

Clayton Keller — Nick Schmaltz — Lawson Crouse
Kailer Yamamoto — Logan Cooley — Dylan Guenther
JJ Peterka — Alexander Kerfoot — Michael Carcone
Liam O’Brien — Kevin Stenlund — Brandon Tanev

Mikhail Sergachev — Sean Durzi
Nate Schmidt — John Marino
Ian Cole — Nick DeSimone

Karel Vejmelka
Vitek Vanecek

Where to watch:
Hallelujah, the game isn’t on ESPN. That means I can do a recap again, and can watch with commentary.

Game start 7 PM on Utah 16 / SEG plus or at a watch party near you.

TUSKS UP!