Morning Skate Note

• Head coach Andre Tourigny talked about some lineup changes. Dylan Guenther will join McBain’s line, and Daniel Butt will play on Hayton’s line.
• Liam O’Brien joins the lineup, with Kyler Yamamoto out tonight.

change line

The Mammoths made some line changes to reinvigorate their front group and spread Utah’s talent throughout the lineup to counter a stacked Toronto team. Tourigny talked about the changes after the morning skate.

“If you look at Toronto’s lineup, they have depth. They have four lines and spread the offense across the offense. We’re looking for that. We’re looking for a spark. (McBain and Guenther) love playing together. They played together a little bit last year and they love playing together. At the same time, ( “I think he needs to perform a little bit better. He’s playing well, playing really well, but he needs to play solid.” Playing with JJ (Peterka and Barrett Hayton) at a higher level will give him another opportunity to show what he’s capable of, and we’ll make adjustments as needed. So we will start the game like that, we will understand it, we have options. ”

Defense details

Following a 3-2 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Mammoths are looking to overhaul their defensive details and performance. This will be key against the Maple Leafs, who average the fifth-most goals in the NHL and have a stacked roster with plenty of firepower.

“I think (Toronto) has performed really well off the cycle and off the rush,” defenseman Nate Schmidt explained. “They’re doing a lot of damage down there…so we (defensemen) and our low forwards have to do a good job of limiting that speed and keeping them from getting over the half wall, because if they do, it’s going to be a long night for us.”

“They play a really direct game,” Tourigny explained. “They put the puck on the net, they have traffic… They don’t complicate the game. They do a really good job and play hard. So defensively we have to be consistent. I think we’re a competitive type of team. So we have to make sure we get good shifts from one to the next.”