Oilers vs Mammoth Prediction: Can Utah Capitalize on Edmonton’s Injury Gap
Updated September 21, 2026
Updated September 21, 2026
Tuesday night sets up as a high-interest betting spot in Salt Lake City, where the Edmonton Oilers visit the Utah Mammoth in the second of three meetings this season. Edmonton won the first one 6-3 back on October 28, but the picture looks different now. The Oilers arrive at 34-28-9 and still have Connor McDavid driving one of the league’s most dangerous attacks, yet the absence of Leon Draisaitl changes the shape of the lineup in a major way. Utah comes in at 37-28-6, holding the first wild card spot in the Western Conference and building some confidence after a 4-3 overtime win over Los Angeles. The betting market has leaned to the Mammoth at home, and that makes sense. Utah is healthier, steadier in goal, and in a better position to control the flow if this game settles into a tight third period.
Pick: Utah Mammoth moneyline
Tuesday night offers a lot of games in the NHL, with big games like Colorado vs Pittsburgh and Minnesota Wild vs Tampa Bay Lightning.
Utah enters this game with a better short-term setup. The Mammoth are coming off a 4-3 overtime win over Los Angeles, and that followed an impressive 4-0 shutout win at Vegas and a 6-3 road win over Dallas. That run matters because it shows Utah can win in different ways. It can trade goals when needed, but it has also shown it can tighten the game and protect its net. Edmonton, by contrast, has looked more uneven over the last stretch. The Oilers are 5-4-1 in their last 10 and have lost back-to-back home games to Florida and Tampa Bay after a useful win over San Jose. That does not mean Edmonton is in poor form, but it does show a club that is missing some finishing support with Draisaitl out.
The latest projected board points to Tristan Jarry for Edmonton and Karel Vejmelka for Utah, though both were still unconfirmed at the time of the check. If that pairing holds, Utah gets the stronger pregame grade in net. Vejmelka carries a 32-17-3 record with a 2.68 goals against average, a .898 save percentage, and 2 shutouts. He is also coming off a 33-save win over the Kings. Jarry’s season line sits at 15-9-2 with a 3.37 goals against average, a .882 save percentage, and 2 shutouts. Edmonton has gotten decent work from Connor Ingram in recent weeks, so the final call in goal does matter, but the current projection gives Utah the cleaner crease edge.
McDavid remains the central figure in the handicap. He has 116 points through 71 games on 38 goals and 78 assists, and he is still fully capable of tilting a game on his own. Evan Bouchard has also been a major part of the attack from the back end, while Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins still give Edmonton enough support to punish bad defensive shifts. The issue is that Draisaitl is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, and replacing 97 points is not something any club does cleanly.
Utah does not have a player at McDavid’s level, but the Mammoth bring more balance into this spot. Clayton Keller leads the club with 67 points and 45 assists. Nick Schmaltz has 61 points and is coming off a 2-goal game against Los Angeles. Dylan Guenther leads Utah with 34 goals and continues to give the club a true finishing threat. Logan Cooley has also been active in the top six, which matters because Utah is at its best when it can keep pressure on with more than one line.
The biggest shift in the handicap comes from roster condition and game setting. Edmonton still owns the highest individual ceiling because McDavid is on the ice, and that always creates danger for anyone fading the Oilers. Still, Utah has a better blend for this specific spot. The Mammoth are at home, they have the more stable lineup, and they have been getting enough from Vejmelka to trust them in a one-goal game. Add in Draisaitl’s absence and the edge becomes easier to justify.
There is still some risk here. Edmonton has already beaten Utah once this season, and a McDavid-led power play can wreck a good read in a hurry. The current numbers point more cleanly to the home side. Utah has the better home split, the healthier top six, and the steadier projected goaltending line. The best betting angle is Utah on the moneyline, with a projected final score of 4-3.
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