Mammoth, Jets clash in matchup of red-hot Central teams

The Utah Mammoth go for their seventh straight victory when they visit the Winnipeg Jets in a Central Division showdown on Sunday night.

The Jets are rolling as well, having won six of seven, including a 5-3 win against the visiting Calgary Flames on Friday night.

On Saturday night, Logan Cooley and Nick Schmaltz each scored twice for Utah in a 6-2 victory at the Minnesota Wild. Schmaltz has a six-game points streak (seven goals, six assists). Cooley has five goals and two assists in two games, the first back-to-back multi-goal games of his career.

"It's always a lot more fun when you're scoring, and obviously winning, too," Cooley said. "We're on a streak right now. Just fortunate enough to be scoring right now. It's a lot of fun and we've got to just keep it rolling."

JJ Peterka and John Marino also scored for Utah. Karel Vejmelka made 33 saves and extended his franchise-record win streak to six.

Peterka is on a four-game road points streak (two goals, four assists) after his third-period goal.

The Mammoth took a 3-0 lead and after Minnesota cut it to 3-2 in the second period, Utah added three late in the third, including an empty-net goal by Marino.

"Obviously to come out strong in the first like we have in the past, we've had some down second periods; something we've got to fix," Marino said. "But to be able to close out wins and get that momentum, get that swagger and just that winning feeling, that's something we want to keep going forward."

Utah has scored five or more goals three times this season.

Goalie Vitek Vanecek (1-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average and .897 save percentage this season) is Sunday's likely starter. He is 2-1-1 with a 3.23 GAA and .906 save percentage in five career games against the Jets.

Gabriel Vilardi scored his first goal of the season and also had an assist, while Josh Morrissey had three assists for Winnipeg in its win against Calgary.

"He was real good again tonight," Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said of Morrissey. "He played an awful lot of minutes in back-to-back games, but he loves that."

Mark Scheifele had two assists and Eric Comrie made 30 saves for the Jets, who were coming off a 3-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday and will be completing a three-game homestand.

Vilardi made it 3-1 at 9:50 of the second period, scoring a power-play goal with a backhand shot. It was his first goal in eight games this season after scoring 27 in 71 games last season.

"He's had lots of looks ... and maybe it just hasn't been going in for him," Morrissey said. "But I think with any great player and goal scorer and whatnot, I mean, when you're getting those chances and when you're around it, you know it's about to come."

Jonathan Toews also scored and has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past four games.

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck (4-2-0, 2.01 GAA, .932 save percentage this season) is 2-2-0 with a 2.27 GAA and .904 save percentage in his career versus the Mammoth.

Winnipeg and Utah split four games last season with each team winning twice at home.

--Field Level Media