Tomorrow, the Utah Mammoth open the 2026-27 season hosting the Chicago Blackhawks.
For the Hawks, though, this won't be their first game. On Tuesday night, Chicago didn't look great en route to their 5-2 defeat. One issue that team has could play into Utah's hands nicely.
Can Utah keep the Blackhawks from scoring much to start the season?
The Hawks got goals from defenseman and newly acquired Jordan Greenway and the newly acquired former Blackhawks player Patrick Kane. Otherwise, they struggled to create much offense without Connor Bedard.
Chicago was outshot 37-26 and didn't look very good on offense. Can Utah take advantage of this? Perhaps. Other teams like the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and even the Florida Panthers struggled mightily to score in their first game.
The Panthers needed a late OT goal to avoid a shootout and won 1-0 against the Hurricanes. Meanwhile, the Rangers were shut out by Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins. That game actually was scoreless before the Bruins scored a flurry of goals late in the third period to win 3-0.
All in all, Utah certainly isn't guaranteed to drop a lot of goals on Chicago's starter, Spencer Knight. But one thing is certain: the Mammoth can definitely limit the amount of goals scored by Chicago.
Perhaps they can even begin the season with a confident and nice-lookingstart the season with a confident, win.
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