For the third time in less than two weeks, the Utah Mammoth will face the Blackhawks, with Chicago aiming to complete a four-game season sweep on Thursday in Salt Lake City.
While the Mammoth are in firm possession of a playoff spot and the Blackhawks are playing the final month with an eye toward next season, Utah has yet to solve Chicago. On Monday, Frank Nazar scored a power-play goal midway through overtime, giving the host Blackhawks a 3-2 victory and halting their 0-1-2 skid.
Utah followed that up with a 5-0 loss Tuesday at Minnesota to finish a 3-1-1 road trip. The Mammoth have been blanked twice this month, including a 4-0 home loss to Chicago on March 1.
Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom stopped 22 shots in the March 1 game. Third-string Chicago goalie Drew Commesso made 23 saves in the Monday win as Spencer Knight, the team’s top netminder, missed the game due to an illness.
However, coach Jeff Blashill told reporters Wednesday that Knight would make the trip to Utah. Knight, 24, is 0-2-1 since NHL play resumed in late February, with his last game a 3-2 overtime loss at Winnipeg on March 3, when he saved 29 of the 32 shots he faced.
Knight is perfect in two games against Utah with a .934 save percentage and a 1.95 goals-against average. He stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 3-1 win over the Mammoth on Oct. 13.
The Blackhawks are last in the Central Division. Blashill was asked Wednesday if the team, which happens to be the league’s youngest by average age (25.7) according to EliteProspects.com, has reached the point where it becomes important to see if certain players can become vital pieces for next season.
“I think the most important thing we have to do over this course of games is grow as individuals and grow as a team, and learning how to play winning hockey,” he said.
Connor Bedard, 20, leads the team with 34 assists and 60 points in 51 games. The former No. 1 overall draft pick also has a career-high 26 goals in his third season. However, the Blackhawks’ next three top scorers are all over 30 years old.
Nazar, 22, ranks fifth with 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists). He has a four-game point streak with two goals and four assists.
While Utah has lost two straight for just the second time since Jan. 1, coach Andre Tourigny’s team had won its previous three.
“We’re excited to go back home and have a little bit of rest and get ready,” Tourigny said after the Tuesday loss.
The Mammoth are led by Clayton Keller, 27; Nick Schmaltz, 30; and Dylan Guenther, 22. Keller tops the team with 64 points (19 goals, 45 assists), and the Tuesday shutout ended his four-game point streak (one goal, five assists).
Guenther owns a team-best 30 goals, and his 55 points are third best. He, too, saw a four-game point streak (three goals, three assists) end in Minnesota. Schmaltz, who signed an eight-year, $64 million extension Wednesday, ranks second in goals (24), assists (35) and points (59).
“I think we’re right on the edge of being a really great team,” Schmaltz said. “We’ve got all the pieces in place, and I know we’re only going to get better.”
Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka leads the NHL with 30 wins, but he allowed four goals on 28 shots against Chicago on March 1. Overall against Chicago, the 29-year-old sports a 5-1-2 record in eight games with a 2.68 GAA and a .906 save percentage.
