MORNING SKATE NOTES
- Utah announced that center Logan Cooley is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
- Mammoth play-by-play broadcaster Matt McConnell will call his 2000 NHL game tonight.
- The Mammoth are back home for a three-game homestand after a season-long six game road trip.
Cooley Injury Update
At the start of morning skate, the Utah Mammoth announced that center Logan Cooley is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Cooley missed the Mammoth’s final game of the road trip against Calgary.
“Unfortunately, will be missing some time,” head coach André Tourigny said after skate. “With that said, I think every team is going through adversity and it’s an opportunity for someone else to step in. (Barrett Hayton) is back in the lineup, did a good job last game. (Daniil But) did good since he’s been called up. Next man up. We need to have that mentality.”
Execute on Home Ice
Entering Monday’s game, the Mammoth have the fifth-highest home points percentage (.682) in the NHL. The team is eager to be back at Delta Center and want to bring a strong effort on home ice.
“We take a lot of pride playing here at home, and we want to show that tonight,” Hayton explained. “Play with a lot of compete, pace, execution, really dig in here.”
Hayton also discussed how his team can play their best against defensive pressure in tonight’s game.
“Playing connected, playing with pace, and then playing with layers,” Hayton shared. “Having traffic at the net’s huge, it’s something we need more of, and I think that’s something that, especially against teams with a lot of pressure, you can break them down with those shots and get those loose puck recoveries and attack from there.”
Facing the Kings
The LA Kings are a strong defensive team and make it challenging for teams to score. Currently, the Kings are averaging the third-fewest goals against per game in the NHL. Tourigny discussed LA’s strong neutral zone pressure and the impact it has.
“Most important for us is stay away from their neutral zone,” Tourigny explained. “That’s what we (talked about) this morning, the way they close the neutral zone … We need to find a way to be quick on our counterattack. Don’t let them set up. That’s a way we can generate some speed.”
