Preview: The Mammoth are in town for the holidays

The Colorado Avalanche and Utah Mammoth will meet for the third time this season tonight, this time at Ball Arena. The home of the Avalanche has already seen a ton of wins this season, and it’s not even 2026 yet. The Mammoth come in having just beaten the Jets in overtime, and Colorado is following up on a 5-1 beatdown of the Minnesota Wild. Will the boys in burgundy and blue play like Santa is watching, or do the Mammoth plan on stealing Christmas?

Colorado Avalanche

I don’t think I’m being irresponsible as a journalist if I keep the Avalanche portion of this pregame brief. What’s happening in Colorado is simple. They are winning games everywhich way and against all kinds of opponents, and it’s largely been thanks to an incredible start for Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Both of which seem poised to add to their trophy cases.

Projected Lineup:

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Victor Olofsson — Ross Colton — Gavin Brindley
Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinsk

Scott Wedgewood
MacKenzie Blackwood

Utah Mammoth

Utah saw Clayton Keller notching the game-winning overtime goal against the Winnipeg Jets, who are off to a slow start of their own without MVP goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Still coming back and winning a game in OT takes some doing, and against a division opponent, the one point really does matter.

It feels like forever ago, but the Mammoth did play the Avalanche quite well in the home opener back in October and will hope to replicate that performance, though with a different outcome.

Projected Lineup:

Clayton Keller — Nick Schmaltz — JJ Peterka
Lawson Crouse — Barrett Hayton — Dylan Guenther
Daniil But — Jack McBain — Michael Carcone
Liam O’Brien — Kevin Stenlund — Alex Kerfoot

Mikhail Sergachev — Sean Durzi
Nate Schmidt — John Marino
Ian Cole — Nick DeSimone

Karel Vejmelka
Vitek Vanecek