Mammoth Seek Wild-Card Push vs. Blues in Salt Lake
The Utah Mammoth will try to move back into playoff position Friday night when they host the St. Louis Blues in Salt Lake City.
Utah enters the second game of a season-high seven-game homestand sitting one point behind Los Angeles for the Western Conference’s final wild-card spot and tied with Anaheim. Losses by the Kings and Ducks, combined with a Mammoth victory, would move Utah into playoff position.
The Mammoth have won three of their past four games, including a 3–1 victory over Ottawa on Wednesday. Utah scored twice early in the first period before adding an insurance goal in the third.
“I really think when the game is on the line, when push comes to shove, we really raise our game,” coach Andre Tourigny said. “We raised our urgency (against Ottawa), were really stingy, and we had composure. So, I like the way we closed out the game. When it was 2-1, there was no panic, no stress in our game, just urgency and focus.”
Dylan Guenther continues to lead Utah offensively. The 22-year-old has 21 goals in 44 games, pacing the Mammoth and putting him on track for a 39-goal season, with 37 points overall.
The Blues are coming off a 7–3 loss to Chicago that snapped a two-game winning streak. St. Louis sits four points out of the second wild card.
“Really frustrating,” Robert Thomas said. “We all felt like we were turning the corner, too, and taking steps forward. Obviously didn’t (Wednesday).”
Special teams remain a concern for the St. Louis team. The Blues went 0-for-5 on the power play against Chicago and are 2-for-27 (7.4%) since Dec. 17. Their penalty kill, ranked 28th in the NHL, surrendered three goals in four chances after a recent strong stretch.
Second-period play has also been an issue, with St. Louis allowing a league-high 59 goals in the middle frame.
“We can’t get frustrated,” Thomas said. “We’ve got to keep sticking to our game plan even though we’re getting chances that aren’t going in. … It’s obviously been a weakness of ours all season long and something we’re trying to correct.”
