Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center on Thursday, October 1, 2026, with puck drop set for 9:30 PM EDT.
Matchup: Chicago Blackhawks (0-1-0, 0 points in 2026-27) at Utah Mammoth (0-0-0, 0 points in 2026-27)
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026
Puck drop: 9:30 PM EDT (7:30 PM MDT local)
Venue: Delta Center
How to watch: UTA: ESPN+, HULU, Disney+
Chicago Blackhawks News & Notes
Chicago opens the season in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights without Connor Bedard, who underwent shoulder surgery in July and was slated to miss the start of the 2026-27 campaign. The club placed him on the injured non-roster list when it announced its opening night roster, and no return date has been established. Bedard’s absence looms large after a season in which he played at an 89-point pace despite a lengthy injury layoff and limited supporting help.
The roster took shape over the final week of camp. Chicago placed Landon Slaggert on waivers, and he went unclaimed. Reinforcements arrived in late June, when the Blackhawks acquired defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway in a trade with Buffalo; Greenway has been dealing with an injury of his own, though head coach Jeff Blashill offered a positive update in the days before the opener. The team enters the year carrying the #Blackhawks hashtag on its social accounts.
Utah Mammoth News & Notes
Utah reshaped its roster over the summer. General manager Bill Armstrong acquired Vincent Trocheck from the New York Rangers, sending Sean Durzi, Beaudoin, and a third-round pick the other way, and added veteran forward Anders Lee. Defenseman John Marino signed an eight-year, $54 million contract, and the club matched New Jersey’s offer sheet to center Barrett Hayton. Mackenzie Weegar arrived from Calgary at last season’s trade deadline, and Zac Jones signed a two-year, two-way deal on July 1.
The Mammoth announced a 23-man opening night roster on September 28 after closing the preseason with a shutout of Colorado. Defenseman Maveric Lamoureux, whose absence head coach Andre Tourigny flagged during camp, underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to miss four to six months. Utah assigned Caleb Desnoyers and Tij Iginla to the AHL and placed Brandon Tanev and Joshua Roy on waivers. Goaltender Michael Hrabal, who signed a three-year entry-level deal in March, attended rookie camp.
Chicago Blackhawks Projected Lines
Line 1: Tyler Bertuzzi – Anton Frondell – Patrick Kane
Line 2: Teuvo Teravainen – Roman Kantserov – Nick Lardis
Line 3: Ryan Donato – Frank Nazar – Oliver Moore
Line 4: Cole Smith – Ryan Greene – Jordan Greenway
Pair 1: Alex Vlasic – Bowen Byram
Pair 2: Wyatt Kaiser – Artyom Levshunov
Pair 3: Ian Cole – Sam Rinzel
Goaltenders: Spencer Knight – Arvid Soderblom
Chicago Blackhawks Special Teams
Power play, First unit: Tyler Bertuzzi – Roman Kantserov – Anton Frondell – Patrick Kane – Bowen Byram
Power play, Second unit: Ryan Donato – Frank Nazar – Nick Lardis – Oliver Moore – Sam Rinzel
Penalty kill, First unit: Oliver Moore – Cole Smith – Alex Vlasic – Ian Cole
Penalty kill, Second unit: Frank Nazar – Jordan Greenway – Wyatt Kaiser – Artyom Levshunov
Utah Mammoth Projected Lines
Line 1: Clayton Keller – Nick Schmaltz – Vincent Trocheck
Line 2: Anders Lee – Logan Cooley – Dylan Guenther
Line 3: Lawson Crouse – Barrett Hayton – Jack McBain
Line 4: Liam O’Brien – Kevin Stenlund – Daniil But
Pair 1: Mikhail Sergachev – MacKenzie Weegar
Pair 2: Nate Schmidt – John Marino
Pair 3: Dmitri Simashev – Andrew Peeke
Goaltenders: Karel Vejmelka – Sebastian Cossa
Utah Mammoth Special Teams
Power play, First unit: Dylan Guenther – Logan Cooley – Nick Schmaltz – Clayton Keller – Mikhail Sergachev
Power play, Second unit: Anders Lee – Vincent Trocheck – Daniil But – Barrett Hayton – John Marino
Penalty kill, First unit: Nick Schmaltz – Lawson Crouse – Mikhail Sergachev – MacKenzie Weegar
Penalty kill, Second unit: Kevin Stenlund – Jack McBain – Nate Schmidt – John Marino
Players To Watch
Patrick Kane — Chicago Blackhawks
With Bedard on injured reserve and Mangiapane out, Kane carries the offensive load. He logged 21:36 last time out, the heaviest workload among Chicago forwards, and turned four shots into a goal. If the Blackhawks need someone to drive the attack tonight, the shots-on-goal and anytime-scorer markets start with him.
Logan Cooley — Utah Mammoth
Cooley led all Utah skaters with five shots in the last game and buried one of them while playing 19:40. That volume at even-strength minutes makes him the most reliable shots-on-goal play on this roster, and he is the first name to check if you want a Mammoth goal scorer tonight.
Injury Report
Chicago Blackhawks
Andrew Mangiapane (LW) — Out, Lower Body, expected back Tuesday, October 6
Connor Bedard (C) — Injured Reserve, Shoulder, expected back Saturday, November 7
Utah Mammoth
Maveric Lamoureux (D) — Injured Reserve, Shoulder, expected back Friday, February 12
Injury information via ESPN.
Next Up
Chicago Blackhawks: visit the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, October 3.
Utah Mammoth: visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, October 3.