The Vancouver Canucks kicked off their road trip with a 6-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth. Vancouver’s goal scorers on the night were Liam Öhgren and Teddy Blueger. As for Kevin Lankinen, he did not have a strong night as he stopped 14 of the 20 shots he faced in the game.
Monday’s game was the definition of lower energy from the Canucks. Outside of a few moments, Vancouver struggled to generate any form of offence, as they finished the night with 23 shots. Overall, it was a disappointing effort made worse by the fact that this game occurred during the annual moms’ trip.
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Defensive issues were once again the story for the Canucks. Whether it was missed assignments or lost stick battles, Vancouver struggled in their own zone all night. The game also featured a hat trick as Nick Schmaltz buried his third of the night in the third period.
“I think defensively, we just weren’t good enough,” said Blueger post-game. “We weren’t tight enough. We knew they liked the cross-seam plays, and then we gave up a bunch of chances early in the first period. Lanks made some big saves and then just kept doing that throughout the second, and they made us pay for it.”
As for a storyline from this game, that would be the departure of Filip Chytil. He played 7:36 through two periods and was absent from the bench at the start of the third. Post-game, Head Coach Adam Foote said Chytil “tweaked something” while responding to being asked if it was a head injury with “I hope not”.
Lastly, ice time will once again be a discussion point after Monday’s game. Jonathan Lekkerimäki played just 12:03 and was the only player outside of Chytil to play under nine minutes at even strength. With the game out of hand after the second and the team in a rebuild, there is no reason why a player like Lekkerimäki should be stapled to the bench in the third period.
Feb 2, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Vancouver Canucks left wing Liam Ohgren (92) follows through on a shot for a goal against Utah Mammoth defenseman Nick DeSimone (57) during the first period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Ultimately, there were not a lot of positive takeaways from Monday’s loss. Outside of the Öhgren, Blueger and Conor Garland line, the Canucks looked flat all night and were making simple mistakes that should not be happening this late in the season. In the end, though, Monday was another victory for the tank as Vancouver once again added some separation from the rest of the league at the bottom of the standings.
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Stats and Facts:
– Vancouver has given up 198 hat tricks in franchise history
– Teddy Blueger scores his fifth goal in nine games this season
– The Canucks are now 0-4-1 all-time against the Mammoth
– Vancouver has given up 72 second-period goals this season
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
3:35- UTA: Nick Schmaltz (20) from John Marino and Barrett Hayton
7:04- VAN: Liam Öhgren (4) from Conor Garland and Teddy Blueger
7:37- UTA: Nick Schmaltz (21) from Sean Durzi
2nd Period:
8:45- UTA: Mikhail Sergachev (9) from Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther
12:16- UTA: John Marino (5) from Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz
16:05- UTA: JJ Peterka (20) from Kailer Yamamoto and John Marino
18:48- VAN: Teddy Blueger (5) from Conor Garland and Marcus Pettersson
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3rd Period:
12:22- UTA: Nick Schmaltz (22) from Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse
Up Next:
The Canucks play their final game before the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights. Last season, Vancouver failed to pick up a victory over Vegas in their four meetings. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
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