Early look The full preview opens on Monday 15 March, 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 Anaheim Ducks: game preview

Puck drop18 Mar · 10:00 PM ET
VenueHonda Center
All-time meetings6 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. Anaheim finished 18th 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 7

Across 6 completed games, Anaheim lead the head-to-head 4-2-0.

All-time record4-2-0Anaheim's record in the series
Meetings played6This is number 7
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Anaheim
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
20 Mar 2026ANA 4 – UTA 1——ANA
3 Dec 2025UTA 7 – ANA 0——UTA
17 Nov 2025UTA 2 – ANA 3 OT——ANA
12 Mar 2025ANA 2 – UTA 3——UTA
22 Dec 2024ANA 5 – UTA 4 SO——ANA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateUtahAnaheim
17 Nov 202510-7-2 · 22 pts15th12-6-1 · 25 pts5th
3 Dec 202513-12-3 · 29 pts20th16-10-1 · 33 pts8th
20 Mar 202636-28-6 · 78 pts17th38-27-4 · 80 pts13th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 17 Nov 2025, Utah were 15th in the league and Anaheim 5th. By 20 Mar 2026 it was 17th and 13th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Utah out-attempted Anaheim 181 to 179

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

Utah Mammoth

181 att · 82 on goal · 10 G · 12.2%
Crease13 att · 1 G
Slot73 att · 2 G
Wing74 att · 7 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G

Anaheim Ducks

179 att · 77 on goal · 7 G · 9.1%
Crease12 att · 2 G
Slot59 att · 3 G
Wing66 att · 1 G
Point37 att · 1 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Anaheim 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.

UtahAnaheim
3.62xG for per game2.19
2.71xG against per game3.49
57.2%xG share38.6%
+2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6
+2.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.0

This season: 4 games for Utah, 2 for Anaheim. 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

Anaheim

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.6% · 23rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 27th
Faceoffs · 2026-2743.9% · 50/114
Drawn · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (3.50/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
91Leo Carlsson21452.50
61Cutter Gauthier22242.00
64Mikael Granlund21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
20Andrew Peeke41120.50
67Tristan Luneau20110.50
47Noah Warren20110.50
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 15 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 16 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Utah crease

UTA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Mar

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

No appearances against Anaheim in the last meetings.

Anaheim crease

ANA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Mar

Lukas Dostal.9182 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against Utah in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 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

20 Mar 20265 · ANA 4–1 UTA
3 Dec 20257 · UTA 7–0 ANA
17 Nov 20255 · UTA 2–3 ANA
12 Mar 20255 · ANA 2–3 UTA
22 Dec 20249 · ANA 5–4 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
Anaheim3.502.503.333.51

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 suggest6.5Goals 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

5 on the injury lists

Utah · injuries

Maveric LamoureuxShoulderIRReturn12 Feb
Mikhail SergachevUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Anaheim · injuries

Drew HellesonLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ian MooreLower BodyIRReturn16 Oct
Troy TerryHipIRReturn21 Nov
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.

1 Oct · ANA

Signed D Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension.

30 Sep · ANA

Reassigned C Roger McQueen and C Cruz Lucius to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Noah Warren, D Ian Mitchell and D Tristan Luneau from San Diego. Placed D Drew Helleson on injured reserve. Moved RW Troy Terry from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · ANA

Placed G Laurent Brossoit and D Travis Mitchell on waivers.

Injury report
#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW
#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC
#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG
#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D
Full draft
#15Nikita KlepovRound 1 · SaginawRW
#28Marcus NordmarkRound 1 · Djurgarden Jr.LW
#45Jayden KurtzRound 2 · RogersD
#50Mathis PrestonRound 2 · VancouverRW
Full draft

Updated after every final