Utah Just Lost Two Straight and the Jets Are Coming to Town With Nothing to Lose

The Utah Mammoth are in a freefall at exactly the wrong time. After punching their playoff ticket with five straight wins, they've dropped back-to-back games and now they're hosting the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, a team that literally has nothing left to play for. This is the third and final matchup between these Central Division rivals this season, and Utah already owns the head-to-head edge with wins of 3-2 back on Oct. 26 in Winnipeg and 4-3 on Dec. 21 at home.

Utah sits at 42-32-6 with 90 points, holding down the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. But after back-to-back blowout losses, the momentum is gone. Clayton Keller, the team's leading scorer with 85 points (including a team-high 59 assists), and the rest of the Mammoth lineup have completely lost their touch. They got demolished 4-1 at home by Carolina on Saturday, then turned around and lost 4-1 to Calgary on Sunday. Coach Andre Tourigny wasn't mincing words after the Flames game.

Utah's Coach Demands Better From Everyone

"I didn't like the way we approached our game in the sense that we had to be ready to grind, get inside, and to work extremely hard for every inch," Tourigny said. "I don't think our emotion, our focus was at the right place, and it showed everywhere from everybody. I'm not blaming anybody. Coaches, players, we need to be better. We need to grind."

Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, acquired from Calgary on March 4, knows firsthand how brutal that arena can be. "Both teams had a tough schedule coming into this one; whoever was the more prepared team in that first period had a really good chance to win this game," Weegar said. "We didn't come out prepared and connected and ready to compete."

Winnipeg: Eliminated and Dangerous

Here's the thing though: the Jets (35-33-12, 82 points) got mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on Monday night. Their three-year playoff run is over. They've also lost two straight, starting with that brutal 7-1 home loss to Philadelphia on Saturday. Defenseman Josh Morrissey acknowledged the embarrassment but said the team is pushing forward.

"The message is, I think, no one wants to lose like that," Morrissey said. "It was embarrassing in our own arena. But at the same time, what are we going to do, sit around and cry about it? We have three games left and a huge back-to-back, a tough road trip. Turn the page, fly there tomorrow, and get yourself ready to go, and let's bring it to the next game."

Winnipeg comes in off a 6-2 loss to Vegas on Monday night that was part of a back-to-back. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck gave up six goals on 38 shots after being pulled in the Flyers game for allowing five goals on just 20 shots. This Mammoth team needs to find their game fast or Tuesday gets ugly in front of their home crowd.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.