Oilers Game Notes 72.0: Edmonton visits Utah for potential first-round playoff preview with Mammoth<\/p>\n
Edmonton Oilers at Utah MammothDate: Tuesday, March 24, 2026Start Time: 7:30 PM MTLocation: Salt Lake City, UtahVenue: Delta CenterWatch: Sportsnet<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0The Utah Hockey Club wanted nothing to do with the history of the Coyotes when they took over the disaster in the desert, so the Mammoth are technically only in their second NHL season.<\/p>\n
After missing the playoffs by seven points in their inaugural campaign, Utah is closing in on a berth this year. The Mammoth own a 37-28-6 record through 71 games, good for the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. With a few weeks left to play, Utah appears largely locked into its position. They sit 12 points back of the Minnesota Wild for third in the Central Division and five points ahead of the suddenly surging Predators, who now hold the second wild-card spot.<\/p>\n Assuming Nashville doesn\u2019t run the table, the most likely scenario is the Pacific Division winner facing Utah in the first round.<\/p>\n 3. The Mammoth are wrapping up a four-game stretch against Pacific Division opponents, with Edmonton serving as the finale.<\/p>\n Utah beat Vegas 4-0 on the road Thursday, returned home and lost 4-1 to Anaheim on Friday, then rebounded with a 4-3 overtime win over the Kings on Sunday after allowing a late third-period equalizer.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0The Coyotes won their final-ever game against the Oilers<\/a> at the end of the 2023-24 season, but since relocating, Edmonton has taken all three meetings with Utah.<\/p>\n Last season, the Oilers won their first trip to the Delta Center with a 4-3 overtime victory in November, then followed it up with a 4-1 win at home on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n This season, Utah had a seven-game October winning streak snapped in a 6-3 loss in Edmonton<\/a>.<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0General manager Bill Armstrong has taken some big swings to get this group competitive quickly.<\/p>\n Ahead of their first season, Utah acquired defencemen Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino. Last summer, they added JJ Peterka on a five-year, $38.5 million deal.<\/p>\n With the team firmly in the playoff mix, Armstrong doubled down by acquiring Mackenzie Weegar from Calgary. He\u2019s slotted alongside Sergachev on the top pairing, logging over 21 minutes per night through his first nine games.<\/p>\n 6. Utah ranks 13th in the NHL with 223 goals scored and sixth with 198 goals against.<\/p>\n Their power play sits below average at 15.6 per cent, while the penalty kill is middle of the pack at 79.0 per cent.<\/p>\n 7. Leading the way offensively is former Edmonton Oil King Dylan Guenther, who has already set a new career-high with 34 goals.<\/p>\n Nick Schmaltz follows with 26, while Clayton Keller and JJ Peterka each have 22. Lawson Crouse (19) and Logan Cooley (17) are also nearing the 20-goal mark.<\/p>\n Beyond the top six, Utah has also received depth scoring. Michael Carcone has 14 goals in a limited role, Barrett Hayton has 10 while handling defensive assignments, and former Oiler Kailer Yamamoto has chipped in 10 from the fourth line.<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0No NHL goaltender has been busier than Karel Vejmelka this season.<\/p>\n He leads the league with 54 starts and over 3,100 minutes played, posting a 32-18-3 record with a .899 save percentage. Backup Vitek Vanecek has struggled, going 5-10-3 with a .890 save percentage.<\/p>\n 9.\u00a0The Oilers are coming into Utah riding a two-game losing streak<\/a>. After starting their four-game homestand with two wins, Edmonton lost to Florida and Tampa Bay by a combined score of 9-2.After the loss to the Lightning on Saturday, Connor McDavid<\/a> praised Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper, who coached Canada to a silver medal at this year\u2019s Olympics in Milano-Cortina. Edmonton\u2019s captain noted how the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup winners have a \u201cgreat system\u201d and that they\u2019re \u201cperfectly coached.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked why the Oilers aren\u2019t at that same level, McDavid said, \u201cThat\u2019s a coaching question. You can ask Knobber that question. Obviously, we\u2019ve been playing together a long time, and we feel like we\u2019re somewhat rehearsed and organized, but not to their level.\u201d<\/p>\n 10.\u00a0McDavid also said that the race for the top spot in the Pacific Division<\/a> has been a pillow fight\u201d this year.<\/p>\n The Ducks lead the way with 82 points, which would be good for fourth place in the Central Division, fifth place in the Metropolitan Division, and seventh place in the Atlantic Division. The Oilers hold third place in the Pacific with 77 points, which would have them 13th in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n What they said\u2026Oilers captain Connor McDavid<\/a> on the final stretch of the regular season\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been up and down. A trying year, for sure. With that being said, we\u2019re 71 games in and we\u2019re still in a playoff spot, still with a chance to win the division. When you look at it that way, there are a lot of positive things.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really matter how we got here. It doesn\u2019t really matter the division you play in. We\u2019re 11 games left with a chance to get in, and not only get in, but even win our division. So, we\u2019ll look at the positives there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got 11 games left to secure our spot and it starts with a couple of big ones on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n