The Canadiens get another chance to reset at home Thursday night, but the Utah Mammoth arrive at the Bell Centre with momentum and a recent win that should keep Montreal on edge.
That’s the backdrop for a matchup that comes just two days after the Canadiens’ stunning collapse against Winnipeg. Montreal was up 4-0 with 2:40 left in regulation on Tuesday, only to lose 5-4 in overtime. The Jets controlled the game for long stretches, and without Jacob Fowler, the Habs might never have built that four-goal cushion in the first place.
Now Montreal has to turn the page quickly against a Utah team that has already shown it can make life difficult. This will be the first meeting between the clubs this season, and the Canadiens will be looking for the same kind of result they got last year, when they beat Utah 6-2 in early November 2025 and then 4-3 later that month.
The Mammoth have changed quite a bit since then. J.J.
Peterka, Sean Durzi, Ian Cole, Alexander Kerfoot and Vitek Vanecek are gone, replaced by Anders Lee, Vincent Trocheck, Andrew Peeke and Sebastian Cossa. Utah also comes in after a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs and has won six of its last 10 games.
At 20 points in 16 games, the Mammoth sit second in the Central Division and ninth in the league.
Montreal, meanwhile, has 21 points in 15 games, which puts it sixth overall in the NHL. Since the Coyotes moved to Utah, the Canadiens have taken three of the four meetings, including the last two.
In goal, the Canadiens are going with Jakub Dobes. Samuel Montemeyrol, who has been day-to-day with a lower-body injury, owns two of Montreal’s three wins in this matchup.
Dobes has also handled Utah before, allowing three goals on 34 shots for a .912 save percentage. Fowler has never faced the Mammoth.
Martin St-Louis had to decide whether to ride the hot hand after Tuesday’s mess, but at morning skate he confirmed Dobes would start.
Utah’s crease picture is a little different. Sebastian Cossa started in the win over Toronto, while Karel Vejmelka has carried most of the load this season. Vejmelka is 3-3-1 against the Canadiens with a 3.57 goals-against average and a .854 save percentage.
Up front, Montreal has several players who have had success against Utah. Cole Caufield leads the way with six points in four games against the Mammoth.
Zach Bolduc has five points in six games, while Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson each have four points in four games against them. Alex Newhook also has four points, though in three games.
The Canadiens’ lineup picture could still shift if Suzuki or Kirby Dach are ready to return. Florian Xhekaj’s ill-timed fight may cost him, and Owen Beck could also end up as a healthy scratch because he has the least experience, even if that isn’t really about performance.
Chris Kreider and Lane Hutson are both on three-game point streaks and have four points in that span. Both Suzuki and Kirby Dach will be in the lineup.
For Utah, Clayton Keller has been the biggest problem for Montreal over the years, with 18 points in 15 games against the Canadiens. Vincent Trocheck has 17 points in 34 games against them, and Nick Schmaltz has 15 points in as many games. Keller is also riding a three-game point streak with six assists, while former Canadiens defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has been even hotter, putting together an eight-game point streak with three goals and seven assists.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM. The game will be shown on RDS in French and TSN 2 in English. Peter MacDougall and TJ Luxmore are the referees, with Trent Knorr and Anthony Lapointe working the lines.
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His agent has added to the uncertainty by indicating the issue is more serious than a simple setback, but Montreal has not publicly confirmed that assessment. For now, the Canadiens are expected to provide an update tomorrow, and until then the focus stays on how long Demidov might be out and what it means for a team that has been waiting on more clarity. [Read more 🡒]