Utah has the points edge and stronger shot generation, but St. Louis brings a hot goalie into Thursday’s matchup.
Utah carries 21 points and a three-game losing streak into Thursday, while St. Louis has 18 points and won its latest game. The Mammoth are 1-4 over their last five; the Blues are 2-3. Utah’s Logan Cooley has 11 goals in 14 games, setting up a key test against Joel Hofer, whose save percentage is .915 in 15 appearances. Utah averages 3.9 more shots than its opponents per game, compared with St. Louis’s minus-1.5 differential, so turning that edge into goals could decide the matchup.