Early look The full preview opens on Friday 18 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Utah Mammoth at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

Puck drop21 Dec · 9:00 PM ET
VenueRogers Arena
All-time meetings6 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirty-four points apart last season

Utah finished last season 15th in the league on 92 points. Vancouver finished 32nd on 58.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 7

Across 6 completed games, Utah lead the head-to-head 6-0-0.

All-time record6-0-0Utah's record in the series
Meetings played6This is number 7
2025-26 series—
Last 55-0Utah
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Apr 2026UTA 7 – VAN 4——UTA
2 Feb 2026VAN 2 – UTA 6——UTA
5 Dec 2025UTA 4 – VAN 1——UTA
16 Mar 2025UTA 3 – VAN 1——UTA
23 Feb 2025VAN 1 – UTA 2——UTA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateUtahVancouver
5 Dec 202514-12-3 · 31 pts19th10-15-3 · 23 pts32nd
2 Feb 202627-21-4 · 58 pts16th17-30-5 · 39 pts32nd
4 Apr 202640-30-6 · 86 pts18th22-46-8 · 52 pts32nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 5 Dec 2025, Utah were 19th in the league and Vancouver 32nd. By 4 Apr 2026 it was 18th and 32nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Vancouver out-attempted Utah 165 to 140

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Utah Mammoth

140 att · 62 on goal · 17 G · 27.4%
Crease8 att · 3 G
Slot56 att · 8 G
Wing46 att · 3 G
Point25 att · 1 G
Neutral zone5 att · 2 G

Vancouver Canucks

165 att · 80 on goal · 7 G · 8.8%
Crease12 att · 1 G
Slot58 att · 5 G
Wing65 att · 0 G
Point26 att · 1 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Utah have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

UtahVancouver
3.62xG for per game2.44
2.71xG against per game3.15
57.2%xG share43.6%
+2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+9.2
+2.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−5.4

This season: 4 games for Utah, 4 for Vancouver. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Utah

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2761.5%
Power play · 2025-2620.0% · 18th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2792.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.1% · 19th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 124/234
Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Vancouver

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2723.1%
Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%
Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd
Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227
Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Nick Schmaltz45271.75
11Dylan Guenther43361.50
47Paul Cotter44261.50
23Marco Rossi43141.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
20Andrew Peeke41120.50
17Filip Hronek40551.25
5Tom Willander40330.75
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 19 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 19 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Utah crease

UTA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Dec

Karel Vejmelka.9133 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.7
Sebastian Cossa.9471 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Dec

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4
Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against Utah in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

4 Apr 202611 · UTA 7–4 VAN
2 Feb 20268 · VAN 2–6 UTA
5 Dec 20255 · UTA 4–1 VAN
16 Mar 20254 · UTA 3–1 VAN
23 Feb 20253 · VAN 1–2 UTA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Utah4.252.003.272.93
Vancouver4.754.502.633.85

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.6Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Utah · injuries

Maveric LamoureuxShoulderIRReturn12 Feb
Mikhail SergachevUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct
Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec
27 Sep · UTA

Placed LW Ben McCartney on waivers.

25 Sep · UTA

Assigned Fs Yegor Borikov, Caleb Desnoyers, Tij Iginla, Gabe Smith and G Michael Hrabal to Tucson (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Fs Brandon Tanev and Joshua Roy and D Zac Jones.

23 Jul 2026 · UTA

Signed D Max Psenicka to a three-year contract.

27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

Injury report
#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW
#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC
#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG
#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D
Full draft
#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC
#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW
#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC
#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW
Full draft

Updated after every final