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Canucks Game Day: Trying to slow down the speedy Utah Mammoth
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Photo credit: © Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Apr 4, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 4, 2026, 11:57 EDT
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The Vancouver Canucks (22-45-8) open a brief two-game homestand when they host the Utah Mammoth (39-30-6) at Rogers Arena. The game is set for a 4 pm PT faceoff.
Prior to the game, the team is expected to salute Evander Kane for playing his 1,000th NHL game on Monday in Las Vegas.

What we know

With the earlier-than-usual start time, the Canucks did not hold a morning skate. So the lineup for this afternoon’s game won’t be known until closer to game time.
The Canucks are coming off a 5-2 loss in Minnesota on Thursday. Tom Willander and Jake DeBrusk scored the Vancouver goals while Nikita Tolopilo made 34 saves. DeBrusk has scored in back-to-back games, three of his last four and four of six. All of those goals have come on the power play. He starts the day tied for fifth in the NHL with 15 power play goals on the season. With five shots on Thursday, DeBrusk established a career-high with 194 shots on goal this season. 
As a team, the Canucks are nine for their last 23 (39.1%) with the man advantage over the past nine games and have scored a power play goal in four straight games. 
Elias Pettersson has five assists on a four-game point streak. He has two goals and eight helpers in his last nine games. Brock Boeser has 5+7=12 in his last 10 outings.
While he is expected to be celebrated prior to puck drop, Evander Kane is questionable for the game. The veteran winger has missed the past two games with a nagging injury that he has been playing through for weeks now. Linus Karlsson is expected to suit up for his 100th NHL game this afternoon.
With their loss on Thursday, the Canucks have secured the best odds in the May 5th NHL Draft lottery. The club has dropped seven of its last eight games overall and five of its last six on home ice. The Canucks are 8-25-5 at home this season and need wins in two of their final three games at Rogers Arena to reach double-digits. The Canucks host Vegas on Tuesday and Los Angeles on April 14th.

The Opponent

The Mammoth come to town following a 6-2 win in Seattle on Thursday night. Logan Cooley scored twice and added an assist, while Dylan Guenther had a goal and two helpers. Nick Schmaltz, JJ Paterka and Michael Carcone had Utah’s other goals. The Mammoth went three for six on the power play and has eight goals with the man advantage over the past four games.
Keller leads the team with 74 points, followed by Schmaltz with 67. Guenther is the club’s top goal scorer with 37 on the season. He is one of six 20-goal scorers in the Utah lineup.
Utah has won back-to-back games and has five wins in its last eight outings. The club has also won four straight on the road. The Mammoth appears locked into the first wild card spot in the West and will face the Pacific Division winner in the opening round of the playoffs.
Karel Vejmelka has been the busiest goalie in the NHL season, starting a league-high 57 games and appearing in 58 of Utah’s 75 contests. He has logged more on-ice minutes than any goalie in the league this season and is second in the league with 34 victories, and has recorded 34 of Utah’s 39 wins. Vejmelka is 34-19-3 with a  2.68 GAA and an .899 save percentage. He allowed two goals on 27 shots in Seattle on Thursday.
Utah is considered one of the fastest teams in the league, and NHL Edge data supports that assertion. Logan Cooley has clocked the third-fastest speed burst in the league this season (24.38 mph), and the team is fifth in bursts of 22 miles per hour or higher and fourth in bursts between 20 and 22 mph.

News and notes

Utah is shooting for the season sweep against the Canucks after posting a 4-1 win in Vancouver on December 5th and a 6-2 victory in Salt Lake City on February 2nd. The Mammoth have won all five games against the Canucks since the team relocated from Arizona at the start of last season.
The referees for tonight’s game are Garrett Rank and Michael Markovic.
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