The Utah Mammoth face the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday to wrap up their four-game homestand at Delta Center. Defenseman Sean Durzi returns after missing 21 games with an upper-body injury sustained since Oct. 11. Utah rides momentum from a 5-1 win over Vegas, where Logan Cooley scored a franchise-record four goals.
Utah (12-8-3) hosts Montreal (11-7-3) at 7:30 p.m. MT. The Mammoth are 7-2-1 at home and have earned points in six of their last seven games. Durzi will pair with Ian Cole, while Dmitri Simashev sits out. The lineup remains unchanged from the previous game.
Coach André Tourigny highlighted Durzi's return: “Offensive touch... It’s puck movement, his shot, his read of the play offensively. But as well, I think he brings a lot of passion to the game. He brings a lot of energy. He’s a really competitive kid. He wants to make a difference, so we’re happy to have him back.” Cole added: “He’s a great player... Highly skilled, likes to get up and go... He’s a great leader for us. He’s a great piece of the puzzle … he is a huge asset for us and we’re thrilled to have him back.”
Utah's recent 5-1 victory over Vegas featured Dylan Guenther's opening goal at 5:06 of the first period, followed by Cooley's first 1:17 later, with assists from Guenther, Cooley and Nate Schmidt. Cooley added three third-period goals, including a shorthanded empty-netter during a 6-on-4 disadvantage. Karel Vejmelka made 33 of 34 saves for his 10th win. Cooley leads Utah with 13 goals and 21 points; Nick Schmaltz has a team-high 22 points.
Vejmelka is 10-5-2 with a 2.76 GAA and .891 save percentage in 17 games. Vítek Vaněček is 2-3-1 with a 2.85 GAA and .873 save percentage in six games. Utah's penalty kill ranks sixth at 84.1%, killing 29 straight penalties.
Montreal starts a three-game road trip after a 5-2 win over Toronto, where Noah Dobson and Josh Anderson scored twice each, Lane Hutson added one, and Jakub Dobes stopped 24 of 26 shots. The Canadiens are 5-2-2 on the road but 1-3-1 in their last five. Cole Caufield has 13 goals and 22 points; Nick Suzuki leads with 23 points and 18 assists. Montreal's defense has 12 goals (ninth in NHL), 49 assists (second) and 61 points (third); they average 3.43 goals per game (fourth).
Sam Montembeault is 4-5-1 with a 3.71 GAA and .852 save percentage in 12 games. Dobes is 7-2-2 with a 2.88 GAA and .895 save percentage in 11 games. The teams met once this season, with Montreal winning 6-2 on Nov. 8; Kailer Yamamoto and Lawson Crouse scored for Utah. After Wednesday, Utah begins a six-game road trip in Dallas on Nov. 28, while Montreal faces Vegas and Colorado in a back-to-back.