There’s no time for the Chicago Blackhawks to dwell on their 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, as they return to play for the back end of a back-to-back on Sunday afternoon against another Central Division foe, the Utah Mammoth, at the Delta Center.
Sunday marks the second of four meetings in the 2025-26 season between the two teams, with the Blackhawks winning the first matchup 3-1 at the United Center on Oct. 13. Ilya Mikheyev scored twice, while Andre Burakovsky appeared in his 700th career NHL game and netted the game-winning goal. JJ Peterka was the lone goal scorer for the Mammoth. Spencer Knight stopped 22 of 23 shots faced to record the win.
The final three games between the Blackhawks and Mammoth this year all come in the next 12 days. Chicago hosts Utah for the third meeting on Mar. 9, then the season series wraps up at the Delta Center on Mar. 12.
Last time out, the Blackhawks dropped their second consecutive game out of the Olympic break, falling 3-1 to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Connor Bedard scored for a second game in a row, but that was all the offense the Blackhawks could muster up. Cale Makar scored twice for Colorado, while Gavin Brindley netted the game-winning goal.
The Mammoth are coming off a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild in their last time out on Friday, which effectively put an end to the Wild’s six-game winning streak. Clayton Keller tallied three points (1G, 2A), while Lawson Crouse scored twice. Logan Cooley (SH) and Barratt Hayton (PP) also scored in the win. Karel Vejmelka, who’s expected to get the start on Sunday, stopped 21 of 23 shots to earn the win in net.
With 66 points through 59 games this season, the Mammoth currently sits in the top Wild Card playoff spot in the Western Conference with a four-point cushion. Utah is 14 points back of the Wild for the third seed in the Central Division, so they are likely pushing for a Wild Card position over their final 23 games.
Here’s everything else to note before the puck drops at 3:00 p.m. CT in Utah.
Blackhawks Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Ryan Greene — Connor Bedard – Andre Burakovsky
Oliver Moore — Frank Nazar — Teuvo Teravainen
Tyler Bertuzzi — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Ryan Donato — Nick Foligno — Colton Dach
Defensive Pairings
Alex Vlasic-Louis Crevier
Matt Grzelcyk-Artyom Levshunov
Kevin Korchinski-Connor Murphy
Scratched
F — Sam Lafferty, F — Landon Slaggert, D — Sam Rinzel
Injured
D — Wyatt Kaiser (lower body)
***
The Blackhawks did not hold a morning skate after traveling from Colorado late on Saturday night. The forward lines and defensive pairings listed above are from the 3-1 loss to the Avalanche in the front end of the back-to-back.
Sam Rinzel missed Saturday’s game due to an illness, and there’s a chance he draws back into the lineup for Kevin Korchinski.
Mammoth Projected Lineup
Forward Lines
Clayton Keller — Nick Schmaltz — Lawson Crouse
Jack McBain — Logan Cooley — Dylan Guenther
JJ Peterka — Barrett Hayton — Kailer Yamamoto
Alexander Kerfoot — Kevin Stenlund — Michael Carcone
Defensive Pairings
Mikhail Sergachev-Sean Durzi
Nate Schmidt-John Marino
Ian Cole-Olli Maatta
Scratched
D — Nick DeSimone, F — Liam O’Brien, F — Brandon Tanev
Injured
None
Projected Goaltending Matchup
Arvid Soderblom (5-9-2, 3.89 GAA, .874 Sv%, 0 SO) vs. Karel Vejmelka (28-15-2, 2.60 GAA, .902 Sv%, 1 SO)
Soderblom will make his 17th start of the season and first since the Olympic break for the Blackhawks. The 26-year-old is 0-2-0 with a 3.57 GAA and .897 Sv% in two career starts against Utah.
Vejmelka is expected to make his 47th start of the season for the Mammoth. The 29-year-old stopped 21 of 23 shots to record the win in his most recent start on Friday. Vejmelka is 5-0-2 with a 2.50 GAA and .913 Sv% in seven career games against Chicago.
2025-26 Results vs. Mammoth
10/13/25 — 3-1 W, United Center
03/01/26 — Delta Center
03/09/26 — United Center
03/12/26 — Delta Center
2025-26 Team Stats & Leaders
Chicago Blackhawks:
Goals — Tyler Bertuzzi (26)
Assists — Connor Bedard (30)
Points — Connor Bedard (55)
GF/GP — 2.61 (26th)
GA/GP — 3.17 (21st)
PP% — 19.2% (21st)
PK% — 85.7% (1st)
FOW% — 47% (30th)
Utah Mammoth:
Goals — Dylan Guenther (27)
Assists — Clayton Keller (40)
Points — Clayton Keller (58)
GF/GP — 3.22 (14th)
GA/GP — 2.76 (5th)
PP% — 16.1% (28th)
PK% — 78.7% (20th)
FOW% — 49.4% (20th)
How To Watch, Listen, & Game Info
Chicago Blackhawks (22-28-9, 53 points) @ Utah Mammoth (31-24-4, 66 points)
3:00 p.m. CT — Delta Center
Head Coaches: Jeff Blashill (CHI), Andre Tourigny (UTA)
TV/Stream: CHSN (Ball/Granato), SN, Utah16
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Grey/Konroyd)
For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now and like our Facebook Page.
Follow us on X: