Venue: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Puck drop: 9:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. MT)
Broadcast: ESPN+, Hulu, Disney+ (national options); local radio and apps available
This is Utah’s home opener and the second game of Chicago’s season-opening road trip. The Blackhawks fell 5-2 at Vegas on Tuesday; the Mammoth open their campaign after a strong 2025-26 season.
Projected Lineups / Current Rosters
Blackhawks projected lineup
Forwards:
Tyler Bertuzzi – Anton Frondell – Patrick Kane
Teuvo Teravainen – Roman Kantserov – Nick Lardis
Ryan Donato – Frank Nazar – Oliver Moore
Cole Smith – Ryan Greene – Jordan Greenway Defense:
Alex Vlasic – Bowen Byram
Wyatt Kaiser – Artyom Levshunov
Supporting options include Ian Cole, Sam Rinzel Goaltenders: Spencer Knight (expected) / Arvid Soderblom
Mammoth projected lineup:
Forwards:
Clayton Keller – Nick Schmaltz – Vincent Trocheck
(Other combinations feature Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Anders Lee, Lawson Crouse, Barrett Hayton, etc.) Defense:
Key names include MacKenzie Weegar, Mikhail Sergachev, Nate Schmidt, John Marino, Andrew Peeke, Dmitri Simashev Goaltenders: Karel Vejmelka (expected) / Sebastian Cossa Utah added veterans Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck in the offseason. Chicago is missing its captain.
Injury Reports
Blackhawks:
Connor Bedard (shoulder) – out / IR (recovering from offseason surgery; expected return around early November)
Andrew Mangiapane (lower body) – out (sustained in the opener; expected to miss at least the next two games, through this road trip)
Ryan Ellis (back) – out / IR (long-term)
Mammoth:
Maveric Lamoureux (shoulder) – out / IR (surgery; expected out 4-6 months)
Chicago is significantly short-handed offensively without Bedard.
Recent Team Forms
Blackhawks: Opened with a 5-2 loss at Vegas (Kane and Greenway scored; Knight faced heavy volume). Finished 29-39-14 last season (72 points). Young roster (league’s youngest average age in some reports) featuring Kane’s return and developing talent, but lacking Bedard’s production early. Strong PK last season (~83.6%).
Mammoth: Strong 43-33-6 campaign last season (playoff berth, took Vegas to six games in the first round). Led by Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, and Logan Cooley. Added experience with Lee and Trocheck. Solid home team looking to build on last year’s breakthrough.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Patrick Kane / Tyler Bertuzzi / Anton Frondell vs. Utah top defense and Keller’s line: Kane carrying a heavy load without Bedard against Weegar/Sergachev types and Utah’s skilled forwards.
Clayton Keller / Nick Schmaltz / Vincent Trocheck vs. Alex Vlasic / Bowen Byram: Utah’s high-end skill against Chicago’s top pair. Guenther and Cooley add secondary threats.
Teuvo Teravainen / Roman Kantserov group vs. Utah middle six: Road point production history for Teravainen against this franchise.
Goaltending: Spencer Knight vs. Karel Vejmelka. Knight faced volume in the opener; Vejmelka is the established starter.
Special teams: Chicago’s strong PK last year vs. Utah’s offensive depth. Power-play opportunities could be decisive given Chicago’s limited scoring without Bedard.
Youth and physicality: Young Blackhawks (Kantserov, Nazar, Levshunov) against Utah’s mix of skill and veterans like Lee and Crouse.
Series History
Chicago swept the four-game season series last year (outscoring Utah 13-5) and has won four straight and five of the last six meetings overall. Utah has home history in the rivalry, but recent results heavily favor the Blackhawks. This is the earliest regular-season meeting between the clubs.
Betting Trends
Utah’s superior talent and home ice create a clear favorite. Chicago allowed five goals in its opener and is missing its top offensive player. Historical H2H favors Chicago, but current roster disparity points the other way. Public heavily backs the home favorite.
Game Odds
Chicago Blackhawks 6
Utah Mammoth – 215
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, September 30, 2026
