Puck drop 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
This is a non-conference early-season matchup. Utah sits atop the Central Division after a strong start; Boston is looking to steady itself after mixed results in the Atlantic.
Injury Reports
Utah Mammoth
Maveric Lamoureux (D): Out (shoulder surgery), expected return around mid-February 2027 (IR).
Mikhail Sergachev (D): Day-to-day (upper body). He left Tuesday’s 5-3 win at New Jersey after taking a clearing attempt from teammate MacKenzie Weegar off the helmet late in the second period and did not return. He recorded three assists (including his 300th career assist) before exiting. Status for Thursday is uncertain; he is listed day-to-day with an estimated return of Oct. 8 in some reports.
Boston Bruins
Charlie McAvoy (D): Out (suspension), expected return Oct. 13.
Matthew Poitras was previously on IR but has been reinstated in recent reports; no major additional injuries currently listed for the active roster in primary sources.
Projected Goalies
Utah: Karel Vejmelka (projected, ~79% start probability). He has started the majority of games and posted solid early numbers.
Boston: Jeremy Swayman (projected, ~86% start probability).
Current Rosters / Key Players
Utah Mammoth (notable names from active/recent rosters):
Forwards – Clayton Keller (C), Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Lawson Crouse, Vincent Trocheck, Anders Lee, Barrett Hayton, Jack McBain, Kevin Stenlund, Michael Carcone, Daniil But, Liam O’Brien.
Defense – Mikhail Sergachev (A, status TBD), MacKenzie Weegar, John Marino, Nate Schmidt, Dmitri Simashev, Andrew Peeke, Nick DeSimone.
Goalies – Karel Vejmelka, Sebastian Cossa.
Boston Bruins (opening-day and current depth):
Forwards – David Pastrnak (C), Morgan Geekie, JJ Peterka, Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, Tanner Jeannot, Fraser Minten, James Hagens, Sean Kuraly, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Mikey Eyssimont.
Defense – Charlie McAvoy (out), Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Mason Lohrei, Will Borgen, Connor Clifton, Jonathan Aspirot, Frederic Brunet.
Goalies – Jeremy Swayman, Michael DiPietro.
Utah’s early offense has been potent (17 goals in 4 games). Boston has struggled to generate consistent scoring (9 goals in 4 games) and sits at 0% on the power play so far.
Recent Team Forms
Utah (3-1-0): Strong start. Recent results include W 6-0 vs. CHI (Oct. 1), W 4-1 at CBJ (Oct. 3), L 2-4 at NYR (Oct. 4), W 5-3 at NJ (Oct. 6). They are scoring 4.25 goals per game, allowing 2.00, with an elite 61.5% power-play conversion (8-for-13) and strong penalty kill (92.9%). This is their fourth straight road game on a longer eastern swing.
Boston (2-2-0): Uneven. Recent results: W 3-0 vs. NYR (Sept. 29 preseason context noted in some logs, but regular-season focus), W 4-3 OT at WPG (Oct. 2), L 1-4 at MIN (Oct. 3), L 1-4 vs. OTT (Oct. 5). They are scoring only 2.25 goals per game, allowing 2.75, with a 0% power play and 72.7% penalty kill. Home record sits at 1-1-0.
Series History / Head-to-Head
Recent meetings (last several seasons, including Utah’s prior identity transitions) have been relatively even or slightly favored Boston in some tallies. Notable recent results include:
Dec. 16, 2025: Boston 4, Utah 1 (at BOS).
Oct. 19, 2025: Utah 3, Boston 2 (at UTA).
Earlier games also feature low-scoring, under-heavy outcomes (multiple unders). Overall recent H2H is competitive/split, with a tendency toward lower totals.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
David Pastrnak / Boston top line (Geekie-Peterka) vs. Utah’s top forwards (Keller-Schmaltz-Cooley/Guenther area) and defense (Weegar/Sergachev or Schmidt-Marino if Sergachev sits): Boston’s primary scoring threat against Utah’s high-octane attack and improved defensive structure.
Utah’s red-hot power play (Schmaltz, Keller, Guenther, Cooley, Sergachev) vs. Boston’s penalty kill (currently 72.7%): Major edge for Utah if they draw penalties; they have scored multiple PP goals in each of their wins.
Nikita Zadorov / Hampus Lindholm / Mason Lohrei physical defense vs. Utah’s skill forwards (Keller, Guenther, Cooley): Size and physicality matchup that could disrupt Utah’s cycle game.
Goalie battle – Vejmelka vs. Swayman: Both capable; early-season form and workload favor solid starts, with Utah’s stronger team defense potentially helping Vejmelka.
Line matchup projections (home last change for Boston) suggest Boston’s top unit will see significant time against Utah’s top lines, with secondary matchups involving Crouse-Trocheck-Guenther and Boston’s middle groups.
Betting Trends
Utah is covering and performing well early; their PP is unsustainably high but real so far. Boston has gone Under in most early games and historically leans lower-scoring in this series. Public betting data is sparse early, but Utah’s form has attracted attention. H2H has favored Unders recently.
Game Odds
Utah Mammoth – 123
Boston Bruins 6
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, October 7, 2026
