Utah mammoth vs anaheim ducks projected lineup 11/17/2025: full preview, lines, and key matchups

Projected lineups for utah mammoth vs anaheim ducks 11/17/2025

Utah mammoth forward combinations

1. Clayton Keller – Logan Cooley – Nick Schmaltz
2. Michael Carcone – Barrett Hayton – Dylan Guenther
3. Lawson Crouse – Jack McBain – JJ Peterka
4. Brandon Tanev – Kevin Stenlund – Kailer Yamamoto

Head coach André Tourigny kept the top trio intact after they combined for six points in the last two games. The second line, nicknamed “Car-Hay-Gueth” by local radio, has been Utah’s most consistent five-on-five driver, out-attempting opponents 62-48 through the last four outings. Expect the Crouse line to see the bulk of defensive-zone starts against Anaheim’s Kreider-Carlsson-Terry unit.

Anaheim ducks forward combinations

1. Chris Kreider – Leo Carlsson – Troy Terry
2. Cutter Gauthier – Mason McTavish – Beckett Sennecke
3. Frank Vatrano – Ryan Strome – Alex Killorn
4. Nikita Nesterenko – Jansen Harkins – Ross Johnston

Joel Quenneville reunited the “KCT” top line at morning skate after experimenting with Gauthier and Killorn on the left side Saturday in Minnesota. The move immediately paid off in puck-possession drills, and it gives Anaheim a proven 200-foot presence against Keller-Cooley-Schmaltz. Rookie Sennecke keeps his spot on the second line; the 19-year-old has three points in his last four games and adds a right-shot one-timer threat on the power play.

Utah mammoth defensive pairs

• Mikhail Sergachev – Dmitri Simashev
• Nate Schmidt – John Marino
• Ian Cole – Nick DeSimone

Sergachev has averaged 24:37 TOI since Durzi went down, quarterbacking both PP1 and the penalty kill. Simashev, the 6’4” Russian rookie, will be tasked with using his reach to disrupt Carlsson’s east-west creativity. The third pair was quietly effective against the Islanders, posting a 63 percent expected-goals rate—keep an eye on DeSimone’s gap control versus Anaheim’s cycle.

Anaheim ducks defensive pairs

• Jackson LaCombe – Drew Helleson
• Olen Zellweger – Jacob Trouba
• Ian Moore – Radko Gudas (captain)

Gudas returns after an 11-game absence and slides back onto his natural right side next to Moore, a Harvard grad comfortable playing off-hand. The pairing brings a combined 220 pounds of sandpaper and should see deployment against Utah’s heavy Crouse line. LaCombe-Helleson remains the Ducks’ primary puck-moving tandem; they lead the team in controlled exits and will be vital against Utah’s 1-2-2 neutral-zone trap.

Goaltenders

• Utah: Karel Vejmelka (projected) – Vitek Vanecek
• Anaheim: Lukas Dostal (confirmed) – Petr Mrazek

Vejmelka owns a .918 SV% in November and stopped 31 of 33 shots in his lone career appearance versus Anaheim last March. Dostal, meanwhile, is 3-1-0 at Honda Center this season with a 1.97 GAA. The Czech netminder was pulled early in Saturday’s 2-0 loss, so expect a bounce-back effort in front of the home crowd.

Injury report and lineup notes

Utah mammoth injuries

• Sean Durzi – IR (upper body, resumed skating)
• Alexander Kerfoot – IR (lower body)
• Juuso Valimaki – IR

Durzi’s absence forces Utah to ride Sergachev hard; the team is 4-4-1 without him. Kerfoot’s versatility is missed on the penalty kill, where Utah has slipped to 24th (75.9%) after a hot start.

Anaheim ducks injuries

• Ryan Poehling – DTD (upper body)
• Mikael Granlund – DTD (re-aggravated lower body)
• Pavel Mintyukov – healthy scratch

Granlund scored in his one-game return versus Detroit but felt tightness the next morning. Quenneville labeled both forwards day-to-day, meaning the lines above could shuffle quickly if either warms up well during pre-game soccer.

Key tactical matchup to watch

Special teams: Anaheim enters 4th in power-play time per game (7:46) but 29th in conversion rate (13.2%). Utah’s PK is struggling, so the Ducks’ second unit of Gauthier-McTavish-Sennecke-Zellweger-Trouba has a chance to feast. Conversely, the Mammoth’s PP1 (Keller-Cooley-Schmaltz-Sergachev-Guenther) clicked at 28% in October but is 1-for-17 on the road trip. Whichever team breaks the special-teams stalemate likely skates away with two points.

Betting angle and prediction

Books opened Anaheim -135 / Utah +115 with a total of 6. The Ducks’ underlying metrics at 5-on-5 (53% xG share since Nov. 1) suggest they’re better than the standings show, while Utah’s goaltending edge keeps the Mammoth live ‘dogs. With both clubs desperate, expect a tight, one-goal affair. Lean: Anaheim 4-3 in regulation, with McTavish (who torched Utah for four points last season) potting the winner on a second-period power play.

What it means for the standings

A regulation win vaults Anaheim into third in the Pacific, leap-fropping Vegas and creating early cushion in a congested playoff picture. Utah, meanwhile, can pull within a point of Los Angeles for the final wild-card spot while holding three games in hand. With the Mammoth’s recent loss in Buffalo still fresh, tonight offers an immediate chance to rebound against a familiar geographic rival.

Circle the rematch on your calendar, too—January 27 in Salt Lake City could carry even more weight if both teams stay in the hunt. Until then, enjoy the league’s newest nickname squaring off with a retooled Anaheim core that finally has its captain back in the barn.