It’s a quick turnaround for the Chicago Blackhawks (23-29-11) after a 4-3 overtime loss on the road to the Dallas Stars on Sunday night. The Blackhawks are back in action again on Monday for the back end of a back-to-back against the Utah Mammoth (34-25-4) at the United Center.
Monday marks the third of four meetings between the Blackhawks and Mammoth this season, and the final three occur in a 12-day stretch. Chicago has won both matchups so far, defeating Utah 3-1 at the United Center on Oct. 13 and 4-0 just eight days ago at the Delta Center. The two teams will play again on Thursday for the season series finale in Utah.
In his 94th NHL start, Arvid Soderblom finally recorded his first career shutout, stopping all 22 shots faced to blank the Mammoth on Mar. 1. Teuvo Teravainen scored twice, while Landon Slaggert and Nick Foligno also found the back of the net. It wound up being Foligno’s final tally with the team before getting traded to the Minnesota Wild.
The Mammoth are coming off a 5-4 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in their last time out on Saturday and have won three games in a row since falling 4-0 to the Blackhawks. Logan Cooley scored twice, including the overtime winner, while Michael Carcone, Dylan Guenther, and Alexander Kerfoot also recorded tallies. Karel Vejmelak stopped 27 of 31 shots to earn the win in net. MacKenzie Weegar made his Mammoth debut and picked up an assist in a team-high 23:21 of ice time.
With 72 points through 63 games this season, the Mammoth currently holds the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but they’re still 13 points behind the Minnesota Wild for third place in the Central Division. Utah has a six-point cushion over the San Jose Sharks, the first team currently on the outside of the playoff picture.
The Blackhawks’ lone victory since returning from the Olympic break came against Utah, as they’re 1-3-2 in six games. With only 57 points through 63 games, Chicago has the third-fewest points in the NHL with less than a quarter of the season remaining. Only the New York Rangers (56) and Vancouver Canucks (46) are below the Blackhawks in the league-wide standings.
Here’s everything else to note before the puck drops at 7:30 p.m. CT in Chicago.
Blackhawks Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky
Tyler Bertuzzi — Frank Nazar — Teuvo Teravainen
Andrew Mangiapane — Ryan Donato — Ilya Mikheyev
Nick Lardis — Sam Lafferty — Landon Slaggert
Defensive Pairings
Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser-Sam Rinzel
Matt Grzelcyk-Artyom Levshunov
Scratched
D — Ethan Del Mastro
Injured
G — Spencer Knight (illness), F — Oliver Moore (undisclosed)
***
The Blackhawks held an optional morning skate on Monday after a late flight back to Chicago, so their forward lines and defensive pairings against Utah are to be determined.
Head coach Jeff Blashill already ruled both Spencer Knight and Oliver Moore out for the game. Knight did not travel with the Blackhawks to Dallas and will miss a third consecutive game due to illness. He did participate briefly during the morning skate, which could indicate a return on Thursday. Moore exited Sunday’s loss to Dallas in the first period after crashing into the boards and will undergo further testing later today. The team will know more about his status on Tuesday.
There’s a chance that Blashill rolls with only 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the lineup, particularly with the team lacking depth at center currently. Ethan Del Mastro was a healthy scratch against Dallas and could draw back in as the extra blue-liner.
Mammoth Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Clayton Keller — Nick Schmaltz — Dylan Guenther
JJ Peterka — Logan Cooley — Logan Crouse
Jack McBain — Barrett Hayton — Kailer Yamamoto
Alexander Kerfoot — Kevin Stenlund — Michael Carcone
Defensive Pairings
Mikhail Sergachev*-MacKenzie Weegar
Nate Schmidt-John Marino
Ian Cole-Sean Durzi
Scratched
D — Nick DeSimone, F — Liam O’Brien, F — Brandon Tanev
Injured
D — Mikhail Sergachev (lower body)
***
Mikhail Sergachev was listed as a game-time decision on Saturday against Columbus, but he ended up being ruled out after not participating in pregame warmups. Should Sergachev play, he’ll likely skate on the top pairing with MacKenzie Weegar. If he misses a third consecutive game, then Nick DeSimone will dress.
Projected Goaltending Matchup
Drew Commesso (1-1-0, 2.50 GAA, .917 Sv%, 1 SO) vs. Vitek Vanecek (4-9-2, 2.73 GAA, .890 Sv%, 1 SO)
Commesso will likely make his third NHL start of the season in the back end of the back-to-back for the Blackhawks. The 23-year-old’s last NHL appearance came on Jan. 10 against the Nashville Predators, when he recorded his first career shutout with 36 saves in a 3-0 win. Commesso has yet to face the Mammoth in his young NHL career.
Vanecek will start for the Mammoth in the front end of their back-to-back, which allows starter Karel Vejmelka to play against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Vanecek is also coming off his first shutout of the season in his last start on Thursday, stopping all 16 shots faced in a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Vanecek is 3-2-1 with a 2.16 GAA, .914 Sv%, and one shutout in six career games against Chicago.
2025-26 Results vs. Mammoth
Chicago is 2-0-0 against Utah this season and has earned points in three of their last four games against them (3-1-0).
10/13/25 — 3-1 W, United Center
03/01/26 — 4-0 W, Delta Center
03/09/26 — United Center
03/12/26 — Delta Center
2025-26 Team Stats & Leaders
Chicago Blackhawks:
Goals — Tyler Bertuzzi (27)
Assists — Connor Bedard (32)
Points — Connor Bedard (58)
GF/GP — 2.63 (27th)
GA/GP — 3.17 (20th)
PP% — 19.2% (21st)
PK% — 85.3% (1st)
FOW% — 46.5% (30th)
Utah Mammoth:
Goals — Dylan Guenther (29)
Assists — Clayton Keller (44)
Points — Clayton Keller (63)
GF/GP — 3.19 (14th)
GA/GP — 2.75 (4th)
PP% — 17.1% (26th)
PK% — 78.2% (20th)
FOW% — 49.6 (19th)
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Utah Mammoth (34-25-4, 72 points) @ Chicago Blackhawks (23-29-11, 56 points)
7:30 p.m. CT — United Center
Head Coaches: Andre Tourigny (UTA), Jeff Blashill (CHI)
TV/Stream: CHSN (Ball/Pang), Utah16
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Wiedeman/Konroyd)
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