‹SUN JAN 31›
3 games
Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 28 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

Nashville Predators at Utah Mammoth: game preview

Puck drop31 Jan · 8:00 PM ET
VenueDelta Center
All-time meetings7 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Six points apart last season

Nashville finished last season 23rd in the league on 86 points. Utah finished 15th on 92, and the 2025-26 season series went UTA 3-1-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 8

Across 7 completed games, Utah lead the head-to-head 4-2-1.

All-time record4-2-1Utah's record in the series
Meetings played7This is number 8
2025-26 seriesUTA 3-1-0
Last 54-1Utah
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
9 Apr 2026NSH 1 – UTA 4——UTA
24 Jan 2026UTA 5 – NSH 2——UTA
29 Dec 2025NSH 4 – UTA 3——NSH
11 Oct 2025UTA 3 – NSH 2 OT——UTA
14 Apr 2025UTA 7 – NSH 3——UTA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNashvilleUtah
11 Oct 20251-0-1 · 3 pts12th1-1-0 · 2 pts23rd
29 Dec 202517-17-4 · 38 pts27th18-19-3 · 39 pts26th
24 Jan 202624-23-4 · 52 pts26th27-20-4 · 58 pts14th
9 Apr 202637-32-10 · 84 pts21st42-30-6 · 90 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Oct 2025, Nashville were 12th in the league and Utah 23rd. By 9 Apr 2026 it was 21st and 14th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Nashville out-attempted Utah 237 to 228

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

Nashville Predators

237 att · 108 on goal · 9 G · 8.3%
Crease27 att · 2 G
Slot82 att · 5 G
Wing88 att · 2 G
Point33 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Utah Mammoth

228 att · 112 on goal · 15 G · 13.4%
Crease17 att · 5 G
Slot82 att · 5 G
Wing81 att · 4 G
Point38 att · 1 G
Neutral zone10 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.

NashvilleUtah
2.50xG for per game3.62
3.14xG against per game2.71
44.3%xG share57.2%
−0.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.5
+0.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.8

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

Nashville

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2737.5%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 11th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.7% · 5th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.6% · 80/168
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
91Steven Stamkos33141.33
21Nils Hoglander33031.00
8Nick Schmaltz45271.75
11Dylan Guenther43361.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
59Roman Josi31231.00
76Brady Skjei30110.33
47Jack Ahcan20110.50
20Andrew Peeke41120.50
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 30 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 29 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Nashville crease

NSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Jan

Juuse Saros.9073 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Utah in the last meetings.

Utah crease

UTA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Jan

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

No appearances against Nashville in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 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

9 Apr 20265 · NSH 1–4 UTA
24 Jan 20267 · UTA 5–2 NSH
29 Dec 20257 · NSH 4–3 UTA
11 Oct 20255 · UTA 3–2 NSH
14 Apr 202510 · UTA 7–3 NSH

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Nashville2.333.003.013.28
Utah4.252.003.272.93

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 suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

3 on the injury lists

Nashville · injuries

Justus AnnunenUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct

Utah · injuries

Maveric LamoureuxShoulderIRReturn12 Feb
Mikhail SergachevUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
6 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matt Murray from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed G Justus Annunen on injured reserve.

4 Oct · NSH

Recalled LW Yegor Pinchuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned G Matt Murray to Milwaukee.

3 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matthew Murray from Milwaukee (AHL).

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.

Injury report
#10Wyatt CullenRound 1 · Usa U-18LW
#31Thomas BleylRound 1 · MonctonD
#70Dmitri BorichevRound 3 · Loko-76 YaroslavlG
#106Jakub FlorisRound 4 · Lukko Jr.D
Full draft
#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW
#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC
#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG
#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D
Full draft

Updated after every final