Early look The full preview opens on Monday 4 January, 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 Detroit Red Wings: game preview

Puck drop7 Jan · 7:00 PM ET
VenueLittle Caesars Arena
All-time meetings4 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Two clubs level on last season's points

Utah finished last season 15th in the league on 92 points. Detroit finished 16th on 92.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 5

Across 4 completed games, Utah lead the head-to-head 3-1-0.

All-time record3-1-0Utah's record in the series
Meetings played4This is number 5
2025-26 series—
Last 43-1Utah
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Feb 2026DET 1 – UTA 4——UTA
17 Dec 2025UTA 4 – DET 1——UTA
24 Mar 2025DET 5 – UTA 1——DET
6 Mar 2025UTA 4 – DET 2——UTA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateUtahDetroit
17 Dec 202517-16-3 · 37 pts20th19-13-3 · 41 pts8th
4 Feb 202627-21-4 · 58 pts16th32-16-5 · 69 pts4th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 17 Dec 2025, Utah were 20th in the league and Detroit 8th. By 4 Feb 2026 it was 16th and 4th.


Where the shots come from · last 4 meetings

Detroit out-attempted Utah 129 to 105

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

Utah Mammoth

105 att · 53 on goal · 8 G · 15.1%
Crease4 att · 0 G
Slot42 att · 6 G
Wing40 att · 1 G
Point16 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 1 G

Detroit Red Wings

129 att · 58 on goal · 2 G · 3.4%
Crease4 att · 0 G
Slot52 att · 2 G
Wing47 att · 0 G
Point22 att · 0 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.

UtahDetroit
3.62xG for per game3.23
2.71xG against per game2.85
57.2%xG share53.1%
+2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.7
+2.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.6

This season: 4 games for Utah, 3 for Detroit. 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 4 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

Detroit

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th
Power play · last 4 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/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
93Alex DeBrincat32241.33
23Lucas Raymond30331.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
20Andrew Peeke41120.50
72Justin Faulk31120.67
53Moritz Seider30110.33
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 5 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 4 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Utah crease

UTA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 4 Jan

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

No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.

Detroit crease

DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 4 Jan

John Gibson.9033 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Utah in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 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 4 meetings

4 Feb 20265 · DET 1–4 UTA
17 Dec 20255 · UTA 4–1 DET
24 Mar 20256 · DET 5–1 UTA
6 Mar 20256 · UTA 4–2 DET

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
Detroit2.332.672.943.15

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 suggest6.1Goals in this game
Last 4 meetings5.5Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Utah · injuries

Maveric LamoureuxShoulderIRReturn12 Feb
Mikhail SergachevUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct
J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct
Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct
Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct
Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
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.

2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

Injury report
#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW
#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC
#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG
#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D
Full draft
#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW
#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW
#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG
#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC
Full draft

Updated after every final