The Utah Mammoth roll into Scotiabank Arena tonight with a 9-6-0 record and a respectable 0.600 Points %, but don’t let those numbers fool you. These guys are getting absolutely torched in Goals Saved over Expected, and it’s happening on some of the lightest goalie workloads in the entire NHL. Seriously, they’re playing like last year’s Senators, which is why they just aren’t winning as much as you’d think, despite being “good to excellent” at almost everything else except their penalty kill. They lost their last game 6-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers on November 1.
Mammoth’s Netminder Nightmare Is Real
When you’re trying to snag a guy like Connor Hellebuyck, you know there’s a reason, right? The Mammoth are feeling it big time in net. Sebastian Cossa and Karel Vejmelka are carrying the load, and while the team’s overall play is strong, the puck just isn’t getting stopped. The stats are brutal, showing a real disconnect between their team’s performance and their netminders. Their lines from the last game against the Flyers saw Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Dylan Guenther leading the charge, with Logan Cooley, Vincent Trocheck, and Lawson Crouse also up there. On defense, Mikhail Sergachev and MacKenzie Weegar were the top pair. They’re built well everywhere else, but that goalie issue is a glaring hole.
Maple Leafs’ Shaken Up Lines and Tavares Watch
The Maple Leafs are coming off a 4-2 regulation win against the Vancouver Canucks on October 31, bringing their record to 8-6-2 with a 0.562 Points %. They had a wild one against the Mammoth the last time these two squared off, giving up a lead in the third period and not quite completing the road comeback. There were stupid amounts of PIM in that one, showing how chippy it got. But look, Toronto’s shaking things up, and it’s interesting. Yesterday, they mixed up the lines, pushing Dakota Joshua up to the second line. That moves William Nylander, who’s always carrying the puck anyway, into a speedster role on that line with Nick Paul. Easton Cowan is now on the top line with Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic, taking the spot from Gavin McKenna, who’s back with Colton Sissons on the third line where he usually thrives. The fourth line is, naturally, untouched. Now, should Joshua be on the second line? Probably not long-term, but he can absolutely do the net-front job, and they’ve got to make room for the missing John Tavares, who’s day-to-day but skated with the team today for the first time. That’s a good sign for his return soon. Sergei Bobrovsky is slated to start in net for Toronto.
The Leafs’ Offensive Zone Secret Weapon
Here’s the deal for Toronto tonight: If they can, even just a little bit, exit their defensive zone with control more often, everything else opens up. They’ve got the players to carry that puck into the offensive zone, guys who can generate serious offense. This is “the fix” they need. Imagine a better offensive pace, fewer chasing-the-play penalties, and no more panic dump-outs that just eat clock. If they can improve puck retrievals and control all over the ice, they become a totally different beast. This game against a struggling Mammoth goalie tandem is the perfect chance to put that “fix” into action.
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.
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