Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 25 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 Dallas Stars: game preview

Puck drop28 Nov · 8:00 PM ET
VenueAmerican Airlines Center
All-time meetings8 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty points apart last season

Utah finished last season 15th in the league on 92 points. Dallas finished 3rd on 112, and the 2025-26 season series went UTA 2-2-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 9

Across 8 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 5-3-0.

All-time record5-3-0Dallas's record in the series
Meetings played8This is number 9
2025-26 seriesUTA 2-2-0
Last 53-2Utah
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
16 Mar 2026UTA 6 – DAL 3——UTA
31 Jan 2026DAL 3 – UTA 2——DAL
15 Jan 2026DAL 1 – UTA 2——UTA
28 Nov 2025UTA 3 – DAL 4——DAL
12 Apr 2025UTA 5 – DAL 3——UTA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateUtahDallas
28 Nov 202512-10-3 · 27 pts20th16-5-4 · 36 pts2nd
15 Jan 202624-20-4 · 52 pts17th27-12-9 · 63 pts2nd
31 Jan 202627-21-4 · 58 pts16th29-14-9 · 67 pts6th
16 Mar 202635-27-6 · 76 pts16th42-15-10 · 94 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 28 Nov 2025, Utah were 20th in the league and Dallas 2nd. By 16 Mar 2026 it was 16th and 2nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Dallas out-attempted Utah 204 to 196

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

Utah Mammoth

196 att · 93 on goal · 13 G · 14.0%
Crease14 att · 1 G
Slot75 att · 7 G
Wing80 att · 4 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 1 G

Dallas Stars

204 att · 117 on goal · 11 G · 9.4%
Crease17 att · 3 G
Slot83 att · 8 G
Wing56 att · 0 G
Point40 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Utah and Dallas are level on 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.

UtahDallas
3.62xG for per game3.08
2.71xG against per game2.44
57.2%xG share55.8%
+2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−3.2
+2.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.3

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

Dallas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2628.6% · 2nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2777.8%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.3% · 13th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.1% · 86/156
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (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
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
20Andrew Peeke41120.50
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
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 27 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 27 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Utah crease

UTA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 25 Nov

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

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 25 Nov

Jake Oettinger.9432 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.0
Casey DeSmith.9231 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Utah in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 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

16 Mar 20269 · UTA 6–3 DAL
31 Jan 20265 · DAL 3–2 UTA
15 Jan 20263 · DAL 1–2 UTA
28 Nov 20257 · UTA 3–4 DAL
12 Apr 20258 · UTA 5–3 DAL

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
Dallas2.002.003.402.76

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 suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Utah · injuries

Maveric LamoureuxShoulderIRReturn12 Feb
Mikhail SergachevUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 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.

5 Oct · DAL

Assigned D Cameron Bertucci to Texas (AHL).

1 Oct · DAL

Placed F Matt Duchene on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 29. Recalled Fs Arttu Hyry and Colin Blackwell from Texas (AHL).

30 Sep · DAL

Signed G Casey DeSmith to a two-year contract.

Injury report
#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW
#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC
#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG
#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D
Full draft
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft

Updated after every final