MORNING SKATE NOTES

The Mammoth had two line changes at morning skate: Logan Cooley centered Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz while Barrett Hayton joined JJ Peterka and Dylan Guenther
Utah’s power play units changed as well with Kevin Stenlund joining PP1 and Guenther joining PP2

Changes Tonight

By switching the centers on the top two lines, the Mammoth will have a different look tonight. Head coach André Tourigny discussed the changes and what he hopes to see.

“Try to bring a little bit of energy in both of them,” Tourigny said. “Cooley brings a lot of speed and Hayton is a really good net presence, so I think (he) could be a good mix with (Peterka) and Guenther. We like the way (McBain’s) line and (Stenlund’s) line are playing so just trying to create a little spark there.”

All players on both the Cooley and Hayton lines have played together in some form, and that familiarity will help. Cooley and Guenther discussed the changes following Saturday’s morning skate.

“Three skilled players, (we) can make a lot of plays and I’m excited to be with them,” Cooley said of the change. “They’re obviously cooking right now and (we’ll) try to get a spark here for our group, generate a little more offensively, and I think that’s what we could expect tonight.”

“(Hayton has a) super predictable, consistent game,” Guenther explained. “He’s super good down low, wins a ton of puck battles, wins a lot of faceoffs. I think we can have some success. (Peterka) brings a lot of speed. Me and (Hayton and Carcone) played together for a little bit last year. I feel like it’s a pretty similar dynamic so I’m excited.”

In addition to the top-six changes, there were different power play units at today’s morning skate. Kevin Stenlund joined Cooley, Keller, Schmaltz, and Mikhail Sergachev on PP1 while Guenther moved to PP2. Tourigny explained why the team made those changes.

“We want to have two units balanced … we need a little bit of consistency in our special teams,” Tourigny said. “Try to give a different look and see how (Stenlund) can look and spread a little bit of our faceoff power. (Stenlund) is really good on his faceoff on one unit and then (Hayton) on the other unit, so give us a chance to start with the puck if possible.”

Facing Montreal

There are few buildings more legendary than Centre Bell. To play a Saturday night game in Montreal is always an exciting atmosphere. The team on the ice is just as exciting. The Canadiens are playing some strong hockey and tonight’s game will be a fun matchup.

“They have a lot of skilled players,” Cooley said of Montreal. “Guys like to make a lot of plays, and they’re good defensively too. They’re playing some good hockey right now. We got to match their intensity and it’s going to be a really good game, and I’m excited to go (play) tonight.”

“Try to be disciplined,” Guenther said of tonight’s focus. “You know how fast they are, just making sure we’re above them, we’re changing at the right time. They’re playing really well too so it’ll be a fun game.”

“We have a ton of respect for them,” Tourigny explained. “Their numbers, their underlying numbers and every metric they have is really good, so it’ll be a good test for us.”

Mr. 600

Associate Captain Lawson Crouse will play his 600th NHL game tonight. It’s a significant milestone for the forward who has 117 goals and 102 assists for 219 points through 599 games. Crouse’s impact off the ice is significant as well.

“He’s a great leader,” Guenther said of Crouse. “Probably the main guy who I leaned on first coming in the league. That’s a great accomplishment. It’s not easy to play in this league and 600 games, that’s a lot of matches so that’s really exciting.”