Early look The full preview opens on Monday 30 November, 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 Vegas Golden Knights: game preview

Puck drop3 Dec · 10:00 PM ET
VenueT-Mobile Arena
All-time meetings12 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Three points apart last season

Utah finished last season 15th in the league on 92 points. Vegas finished 13th on 95.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 13

Across 12 completed games, Vegas lead the head-to-head 7-5-0.

All-time record7-5-0Vegas's record in the series
Meetings played12This is number 13
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Vegas
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
1 May 2026VGK 5 – UTA 1——VGK
29 Apr 2026UTA 4 – VGK 5 OT——VGK
27 Apr 2026VGK 5 – UTA 4 OT——VGK
24 Apr 2026VGK 2 – UTA 4——UTA
21 Apr 2026UTA 3 – VGK 2——UTA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateUtahVegas
21 Apr 202643-33-6 · 92 pts15th39-26-17 · 95 pts13th
24 Apr 202643-33-6 · 92 pts15th39-26-17 · 95 pts13th
27 Apr 202643-33-6 · 92 pts15th39-26-17 · 95 pts13th
29 Apr 202643-33-6 · 92 pts15th39-26-17 · 95 pts13th
1 May 202643-33-6 · 92 pts15th39-26-17 · 95 pts13th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 21 Apr 2026, Utah were 15th in the league and Vegas 13th. By 1 May 2026 it was 15th and 13th.


Expected goals

Vegas 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.

UtahVegas
3.62xG for per game3.79
2.71xG against per game2.09
57.2%xG share64.4%
+2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.8
+2.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.6

This season: 4 games for Utah, 4 for Vegas. 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

Vegas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2731.3%
Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230
Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (3.00/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
9Jack Eichel428102.50
95Victor Olofsson44151.25
48Tomas Hertl43251.25
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
20Andrew Peeke41120.50
27Shea Theodore41230.75
15Noah Hanifin41010.25
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 2 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 1 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Utah crease

UTA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Nov

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

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Nov

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1
Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against Utah in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 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

1 May 20266 · VGK 5–1 UTA
29 Apr 20269 · UTA 4–5 VGK
27 Apr 20269 · VGK 5–4 UTA
24 Apr 20266 · VGK 2–4 UTA
21 Apr 20265 · UTA 3–2 VGK

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
Vegas4.252.503.233.05

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 suggest6.3Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.0Goals 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

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct
Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct
Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 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.

30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies on waivers.

Injury report
#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW
#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC
#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG
#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D
Full draft
#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD
#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·
#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC
#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD
Full draft

Updated after every final