The plucky Utah Mammoth, coming off their first win in five games, are hoping to show the host Vancouver Canucks what a four-game losing streak feels like on Friday night.
Utah snapped its own four-game skid with an overpowering 7-0 win over the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday. The Canucks have lost three straight and are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games after dropping a 3-1 decision to the first-place Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
“I think the message was clear and well-received,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said after the blowout of the Ducks. “It doesn’t mean anything anymore after midnight, so we’ll need to focus on Vancouver.”
Until Wednesday, there hadn’t been much for the Mammoth to cheer about during their six-game road trip, which ends Saturday in Calgary.
The Mammoth are a young group, so Tourigny knew there would be growing pains this season. They have benefited from some key offseason additions and another year of NHL experience for players like 21-year-old Logan Cooley and 22-year-old Dylan Guenther.
“Everyone has got to take ownership for their individual games, but if we can raise our individual games, we can raise our team game inside of that. (On Wednesday) I think we did a great job of that,” Utah defenseman Ian Cole said.
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka was given the hook in the opening period of a loss to San Jose on Monday after allowing three goals in just 13 minutes. His shutout against the Ducks was the seventh of his career and first of the season as he blanked one of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams.
“We cannot get carried away, it’s one game,” Tourigny said. “We needed it, all of it, but at the same time, it doesn’t mean anything if we’re not showing up in the next game.”
Captain Clayton Keller is playing with a heavy heart after the death of his father one week ago. But you couldn’t tell from his one-goal, two-assist performance against the Ducks. Bryan Keller died unexpectedly in his sleep on Thanksgiving Day.
The struggling Canucks will try to avoid suffering their longest losing streak of the season when they open a four-game homestand against Utah. Vancouver has lost six of its last seven and nine of its last 11.
“Wins are the most important thing,” Canucks captain Quinn Hughes said. “If you lose but you lose 3-1 and not 5-1, you’re still losing. ”
Vancouver’s goaltending has been a revolving door over the last week. Kevin Lankinen was away from the team for personal reasons before returning to the net in Saturday’s 2-1 overtime loss at Los Angeles, then getting the nod again for Tuesday’s loss at Colorado. Thatcher Demko has been out for three weeks with a lower-body injury and didn’t travel on the most recent road trip. Nikita Tolopilo’s wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, so he has been away from the team.
“It’s tough right now. We need some wins,” Linus Karlsson said. “Even if I score, I’d rather take a win.”
The Canucks are so hungry for a win that they pulled Lankinen with nearly four minutes left in Tuesday’s game.
“We played good. I hate that we lost 3-1 against a great hockey team,” Vancouver coach Adam Foote said.
–Field Level Media
