Hold up, did you know the Utah Mammoth are actually leading the entire league in five-on-five xGF% right now? Yeah, that’s not a typo. You’d be totally forgiven for guessing Carolina or one of the usual suspects, but it is the Mammoth leading the way. These guys might be perennially misunderstood, but they’re making some noise early in the season, and the Leafs are walking into a tough test tonight at 9:00 PM at Delta Center.
The Mammoth’s Sneaky Hot Start
So, Utah’s got this wild 4-2-0 record with a 0.667 Points %, coming off a solid 4-1 road win against the Buffalo Sabres on October 10th. Their offense is scorching hot, which is definitely unsustainably high, but you gotta respect the output. They’ve rolled over almost everyone, except for those two losses to Igor Shesterkin and David Pastrnak. That’s a pretty big caveat though, right? Like, they’ve played some weaker teams. Still, their five-on-five game is legitimately strong, not just a fluke; they were really good there last season too. The big thing is they lack that true game-breaking forward talent. They compensate like crazy with a solid system, which is why winning the possession battle against them is gonna be an absolute grind. Last year, they actually scored goals at only a tiny bit higher rate than the Leafs. The big problem that kept them average last season, when they had the bones of an exceptional team, was their goaltending. And honestly, so far this year, it still is. Forwards to watch for them include Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Lawson Crouse on the top line, with Kailer Yamamoto and Logan Cooley right behind them. Defensively, Mikhail Sergachev and MacKenzie Weegar are their top pairing. Karel Vejmelka is the likely starter in net, backed up by Sebastian Cossa.
Leafs Rolling After Avs Win, But Injuries Loom
Our boys in blue and white are coming in hot too, with a 3-2-1 record and a 0.583 Points % after a huge 6-3 regulation win against the Colorado Avalanche on October 10th. That was a big one! But listen, we’ve got some injury stuff to think about. Chris Tanev is out, and Marshall Rifai got called up. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was at morning skate after missing practice, so he’s playing through something. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious. Otherwise, the lines are looking pretty consistent: Kirill Marchenko, Auston Matthews, and Jack Roslovic are gonna be our top guns. John Tavares and William Nylander are on the second line with Easton Cowan. On defense, it’s Jake McCabe and Darren Raddysh leading the way, with Morgan Rielly and Troy Stecher right behind them. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Nick Blankenburg round out the D-pairings. Anthony Stolarz is set to start in goal, with Sergei Bobrovsky as backup. We really need those guys to be locked in, especially with Utah’s surprising offensive burst.
What’s on the Line Tonight
The Mammoth’s offense might be flying, but their goaltending is still the big question mark. The Leafs need to expose that. We can’t let them run us in circles in the second period, you know? Or if that’s somehow the plan, we better score a ton in the first! Winning the possession game against them is going to be crucial. This is an early season test to see if the Leafs can really clamp down on a system-heavy team that’s over-performing. Let’s see if our guys can keep the momentum rolling and hand the Mammoth a dose of reality. It’s going to be a battle for sure!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pension Plan Puppets.
Leave a Reply