Canadiens vs. Mammoth: Projected Lineups and Game Preview

The Montreal Canadiens face off against the Utah Mammoth tonight, November 26, 2025, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 PM EST. This inter-conference matchup marks the start of a three-game road trip for the Canadiens against Western Conference teams.

Team Records and Recent Performance:

• Montreal Canadiens: 11-7-3
  • Coming off a 5-2 home win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, snapping a five-game losing streak.
  • The Canadiens have lost their previous two road games.
• Utah Mammoth: 12-8-3
  • Won their last game 5-1 at home against the Vegas Golden Knights, marking successive victories.
  • The Mammoth had a similar start to the season as the Canadiens, with an early winning streak followed by a period of struggle.

Projected Lineups:

Here are the projected lineups for tonight's game:

Montreal Canadiens:

• Forwards:
  • Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Zach Bolduc
  • Juraj Slafkovsky - Oliver Kapanen - Ivan Demidov
  • Florian Xhekaj - Jake Evans - Josh Anderson
  • Jared Davidson - Joe Veleno - Brendan Gallagher
• Defense:
  • Mike Matheson - Noah Dobson
  • Jayden Struble - Lane Hutson
  • Adam Engstrom - Alexandre Carrier
• Goalies:
  • Jakub Dobes (Likely starter)
  • Sam Montembeault
• Scratches: Joshua Roy, Arber Xhekaj, Alexandre Texier
• Injuries: Kirby Dach (broken foot), Alex Newhook (broken ankle), Kaiden Guhle (lower body), Patrik Laine (lower body)

Utah Mammoth:

• Forwards:
  • Clayton Keller - Barrett Hayton - Nick Schmaltz
  • Kailer Yamamoto - Logan Cooley - Dylan Guenther
  • JJ Peterka - Jack McBain - Lawson Crouse
  • Michael Carcone - Kevin Stenlund - Brandon Tanev
• Defense:
  • Mikhail Sergachev - Nick DeSimone
  • Nate Schmidt - John Marino
  • Ian Cole - Sean Durzi
• Goalies:
  • Karel Vejmelka (Likely starter)
  • Vitek Vanecek
• Scratches: Olli Maatta, Liam O'Brien, Dmitri Simashev
• Injuries: Alex Kerfoot (lower body)

Noteworthy Information:

• Adam Engstrom will be making his NHL debut, replacing Arber Xhekaj in the Canadiens' lineup.
• Sean Durzi returns to the Mammoth lineup after missing 20 games due to an upper-body injury, replacing Dmitri Simashev.
• Logan Cooley is coming off a five-point game against the Golden Knights, where he scored four goals and added an assist.
• Cole Caufield is a key player to watch for the Canadiens, known for his prolific shooting.

Keys to the Game:

• The Canadiens need Jakub Dobes to be sharp against a Mammoth team that generates high-danger scoring chances.
• The Mammoth will look to capitalize on the Canadiens' defense, which has struggled at times this season.
• The game could be high-scoring, as both teams have strong offenses.

Broadcasting Information:

• TV: TSN2 (English), RDS (French) in the Canadiens region, Utah16 in the Mammoth region
• Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+