Who: Nashville Predators (16-17-4, 6th Central) at Utah Mammoth (18-18-3, 4th in Central)
When: 8 p.m. CST
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
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Radio: 102.5 The Game
Line (via BetMGM): Predators (+1.5) Mammoth (-1.5). Over/under 5.5 (-120/+100).
The Predators roll into Utah after a holiday hangover loss to the St. Louis Blues, 3-2, on Saturday.
It was a game where the Predators played well, getting 30+ shots on net and taking just four penalty minutes, but a handful of defensive lapses cost them the game.
Tyson Jost scored off a tip-in in the first period, and Fedor Svechkov netted his second of the year, shorthanded, off a nice feed from Erik Haula in the third period.
The Predators had a goal disallowed in the second period, seeing Steven Stamkos tap in a feed from Ryan O’Reilly, who knocked a clearing attempt by goalie Joel Hoefer out of the air. Stamkos was ruled offside prior to the play.
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The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Predators and was their first loss to the Blues this season. However, Nashville has still won 10 of its last 15, dating back to Nov. 26.
Jonathan Marchessault has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, with his status remaining “day-to-day.”
He skated during Sunday practice in Utah, but did not participate in any line rushes. As of the publishing of this story, no updates have been provided ahead of Monday’s game against the Mammoth.
Marchessault has had a slow start to the season, recording 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in 28 games. Four of his points have come on the power play. He’s mentioned before that he’s been disappointed in his 5-on-5 game this season.
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Dec 27, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Nashville Predators center Fedor Svechkov (40) reacts after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Despite the loss, the Predators are still in striking range of the final Wild Card spot in the West.
With 36 points, they are three points out of the WC2 seed, currently held by the San Jose Sharks with 39 points. At the same time, any points gained by the Mammoth would give them the edge over the Sharks.
Utah has 39 points, but more losses in more games than the Sharks.
While the Predators have some work to do to truly get in a spot to claim the final Wild Card spot, a win puts them in a more comfortable position. Add the fact that Nashville has four straight road games after this one, and it needs to get points wherever it can.
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Another thing that benefits the Predators is that the Mammoth are in the midst of a meltdown.
They have lost 10 of their last 16 and have slumped to an 18-18-3 record. Compared to Nashville’s previous situation, this doesn’t sound bad, but the Mammoth were 12-8-3 before the run and were flirting with third place in the Central Division.
Now, they’re battling to not fall out of the race. Utah’s most recent result was a narrow 1-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 23. Colorado has won seven straight and still has just two regulation losses.
Similar to Nashville’s loss to St. Louis, the Mammoth could have a bit of a holiday hangover as this will be their first game following the Christmas pause.
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Nashville and Utah have faced off before this season, all the way back on Oct. 11, which was the Predators’ second game. The Predators sat on a 2-1 lead for too long before Utah capitalized in the third period.
In overtime, the Predators were dominated, not getting a single rush going and struggling to even get possession of the puck. Dylan Guenther scored to hand the Predators their first loss of the year in any fashion.