MORNING SKATE NOTES

Utah starts a back-to-back in Vancouver to wrap up a six-game road trip.
The Mammoth are sticking with the same lineup as last game against the Ducks per head coach André Tourigny.

Building Off the Win

Utah had its most dominant win of the year against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. The team wants to build off the successful elements of their game from that contest moving forward.

“That’s winning hockey. It takes sacrifice every single night,” Sean Durzi said of the detailed effort. “It’s playing that on a consistent basis: tracking, blocking shots, good gaps on the rush. All that stuff is stuff you have to bring on a nightly basis.”

Facing Vancouver

Going into tonight’s contest, the Mammoth are focused on asserting their game against the Canucks.

“Vancouver is much improved in their last five games,” Tourigny explained. “They generate way more offense and they’re better as well defensively. We know it’s a good challenge. They play good hockey lately, but for us, it’s building off our game, not the result, but the way we play, the way we reload, and our effort away from the puck and building off them.”

‘Loudest D-Pair in the League’

Durzi and Nate Schmidt both bring energy and strong communication skills on and off the ice. The two have played together in recent games and Durzi gave some insight into their pairing and the d-core as a whole.

“Probably the loudest d-pair in the league,” Durzi laughed. “Probably can hear us from any seat in the building. But it’s a lot of fun. I never thought I’d meet someone who talks as much as I do on the ice, and he probably talks more than me. He’s a great, great partner. All of our (defensemen) get along. It’s a great group, competitive group. Guys who really want to push each other every day. But I think playing with (Schmidt) has been easy because of communication. It’s not only on the ice we’re talking; it’s off the ice. It’s bringing energy for each other, bringing energy for the team, and just playing our consistent game where we can bring on a nightly basis.”