The Utah Mammoth are heading into Wednesday night shorthanded, and the hits are coming from the top of the lineup.
Dylan Guenther has been placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, and the team later said he is dealing with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss two-to-four weeks. Guenther did not practice Tuesday. Head coach Andre Tourigny called it a maintenance day and said Guenther was “pretty banged up” per Brogan Houston of Deseret Sports.
Utah also ruled out Logan Cooley for Wednesday. Cooley is day-to-day with an upper-body injury per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. To help fill the gaps, the Mammoth recalled forward Danil But from the AHL.
The roster shuffle didn’t stop there. Utah placed Nate Schmidt on injured reserve and activated Kailer Yamamoto.
Schmidt was hurt in last Thursday’s overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens, was first labeled day-to-day, and missed Saturday’s loss to Ottawa. The IR move knocks him out of Wednesday’s game, though he could be activated as soon as Thursday.
Yamamoto has been out since October 29th with an upper-body injury, but he practiced in full on Tuesday and should return in a bottom-six role against Vegas.
The absences leave a noticeable hole in Utah’s attack, especially with Guenther and Cooley continuing to drive play together on the top line. Guenther has six goals and 12 points in 18 games, while Cooley leads the team with 11 goals and 21 points in the same number of appearances. Their minutes together have also tilted the ice in Utah’s favor, with a 51.5 expected goals-for percentage, according to HockeyStats.com.
That puts more pressure on Clayton Keller, who leads the Mammoth with 24 points in 18 games. He is expected to reunite with Nick Schmaltz on Wednesday after spending much of the season alongside Anders Lee. Lee, who has eight points, is set to move to the wing with Barrett Hayton on the third line.
Hayton could see a little more responsibility with Cooley out. He is one of seven Utah players with double-digit scoring this season, sitting at 10 points in 18 games. He has also posted a 52.1 faceoff percentage and 14 shot blocks.
But’s recall gives him another chance to stick in the NHL lineup. Utah sent the former first-round pick to the minors on Halloween, and he has one point in three games with the Tucson Roadrunners since then.
Before that, he had four points in 13 games with the Mammoth after making the team out of camp. He also split time between the NHL and AHL last season, finishing with seven points in 29 NHL games and 39 points in 41 AHL games.
For Wednesday’s matchup, But is listed on Utah’s top line with Keller and Schmaltz, and he could remain there while Guenther is sidelined.
In Other News...
Mammoth Injury Trouble Just Got Even More Concerning Against Vegas
The injury picture for Utah only got murkier in a 5-3 loss to Vegas, a game that already had the Mammoth juggling a depleted lineup before another key forward exited. Kailer Yamamoto was back from injured reserve, Daniil But was recalled and got into the game, and Jack McBain and Lawson Crouse did their part to keep Utah competitive offensively despite the short-handed setup.
Nick Schmaltz added to the concern after taking a hard hit on the boards, briefly trying to play through it before leaving with a lower-body injury. With Dylan Guenther, Nate Schmidt, John Marino and Logan Cooley already unavailable, the Mammoth were left trying to patch together enough firepower and stability against a Vegas team that kept pressing, turning an already difficult night into one that raised even more questions about Utah's health going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Tucson Has A Chance To Tighten Its Grip On The Division
The Tucson Roadrunners return home this week with a chance to keep building separation in the Pacific Division, welcoming the Texas Stars to Tucson Arena for a two-game set on Nov. 14 and 15. Tucson has been rolling through an 11-game point streak and sits atop the division, while Texas arrives buried at the bottom of the Central Division and still looking for its first road win of the season.
It sets up as a useful measuring stick for a Tucson team that has spent the early part of the season stacking results and reinforcing its place near the top of the standings. With division points at a premium and the Stars trying to find traction away from home, this series gives the Roadrunners a chance to tighten their grip even further before the schedule turns again. [Read more 🡒]