Where to even begin? Tuesday's season-opening 5-2 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights was disappointing, but Thursday's 6-0 shutout loss to the Utah Mammoth (1-0-0) was disheartening, and frankly flat-out embarrassing.
Two games into the 2026-27 campaign, the Chicago Blackhawks (0-2-0) look far, far removed from achieving their outset goal of becoming a Stanley Cup Playoff contender again. Their performance at the Delta Center was truly abysmal, and perhaps the franchise's worst under head coach Jeff Blashill. It may have even been the worst game the Blackhawks have played since Kyle Davidson took over as general manager in March 2022. It was that bad.
Dylan Guenther (2), Michael Carcone, Nick Schmaltz, Anders Lee, and Daniil But scored for the Mammoth in their season-opening win, while Karel Vejmelka was forced to make a whopping 15 saves in net to record the shutout.
For reference, Utah had 13 shots on goal in the first period alone, 26 through two periods, and 32 total in the game. The Blackhawks have registered just 41 shots combined from their first two outings, with 20 coming in the third periods, when the outcomes were already mostly determined.
Sure, the Blackhawks faced two top Western Conference teams on the road to start the season, while being without their star player and new captain, Connor Bedard. Losing both matchups was somewhat predictable, but the drastic level to which they've been outplayed, outcompeted, and overwhelmed was not.
The gap between the Blackhawks and their opponents has been shockingly concerning, as they've looked unprepared to play regular-season hockey so far. Even the simplest tasks for NHL players, like executing a crisp breakout pass, or simply knowing where to be in defensive-zone coverage, have proved challenging.
Another alarming aspect is the lack of cohesion, both offensively and defensively. No one appeared to be on the same page again Thursday, as Blashill's latest batch of new-look forward lines showed no noticeable connection and found little to no success. At the midway point of the game, the Mammoth had the same number of goals (3) as the Blackhawks did scoring chances.
Additionally, it took until the 32-minute mark for the Blackhawks to record a single high-danger scoring chance, coming on a shorthanded rush from defenseman Artyom Levshunov. By then, the Mammoth had already tallied eight high-danger opportunities themselves.
Defensively, the own-zone structure was carved apart for the second game in a row, as poor Arvid Soderblom was peppered left and right in his season debut, much like Spencer Knight was in Las Vegas. All six defensemen struggled to handle Utah's constant puck pressure and speed, leading to endless turnovers (SO many) and extended shifts.
Then, the forwards consistently failed to provide proper support and were uber-soft in coverage, surrendering too many passes near the crease and in the slot. They also didn't make themselves available enough for outlet passes to transition up ice.
Altogether, every part of the Blackhawks' game in Utah was disjointed, which is downright unacceptable. There were no bright spots, no glimmers of hope, and no positive takeaways. Usually, that's hyperbole, but it was reality on Thursday.
Here are the highlights from the Blackhawks' 6-0 loss to the Mammoth at the Delta Center, dropping to 0-2-0 to begin the 2026-27 regular season.
With Levshunov in the penalty box for holding Lawson Crouse at 15:53, the Mammoth received the first power play of the night. Less than a minute into the opportunity, Utah's man advantage broke open the scoring, with Dylan Guenther responsible for their first goal of the season at 16:41.
The puck got behind Hawks penalty-killing forwards Ryan Greene and Cole Smith, leaving Guenther an open lane to fire the puck on target. Guenther wisely used Alex Vlasic as a screen, sneaking a shot past him and Soderblom to put Utah ahead 1-0.
New season, same Gunner 😎 pic.twitter.com/J5jIyXUi7y
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 2, 2026
Only 40 seconds later, the Mammoth struck again, capitalizing on a dreadful defensive-zone giveaway by Sam Rinzel. After Rinzel whiffed on a pass attempt, Kevin Stenlund set up Carcone at the left circle to double Utah's lead at 17:21. 2-0. It's Carcone's fifth goal in six career games against Soderblom, oddly enough.
40 seconds later, Carcs makes it 2-0, Utah! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/gvj0JaFaZ6
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 2, 2026
The Mammoth remained ahead 2-0 as the first intermission arrived, and their lead would have been larger if not for Soderblom's effort. Utah led 13-6 in shots on goal, 16-5 in scoring chances, 4-0 in high-danger chances, and 1.18 to 0.36 in expected goals.
Schmaltz added to Utah's lead at 9:47 in the second period, getting to a loose puck on a shot from the point that was Vincent Trocheck deflected. With the primary assist on Schmaltz's goal, Trocheck earned a point in his Mammoth debut. 3-0.
Nick to net connection!
3-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/xBZ7Eb9hOg— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 2, 2026
Here's a look at Levshunov's shorthanded bid to get his team on the board, and the Blackhawks' first high-danger scoring chance of the night. Levshunov made a nice heads-up read in the defensive zone to create the opportunity.
Nice shorthanded burst by Levshunov to create the Blackhawks first chance of the game: pic.twitter.com/rCagtyPpE9
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) October 2, 2026
Shortly after Trocheck earned his first assist with his new team, Lee found the back of the net for the first time with the Mammoth. Lee deflected a point shot from Andrew Peeke, another offseason addition, past Soderblom's blocker at 13:06. 4-0, Mammoth.
The play stemmed from a defensive-zone turnover by Levshunov. The Blackhawks also let two Utah forwards skate right to the net without much resistance.
ANDERS LEE TALLIES HIS FIRST WITH THE MAMMOTH!!!
4-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/dusyijvShX— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 2, 2026
Guenther further added to the lead with his second power-play tally at 15:28, sneaking behind Bowen Byram in coverage for an easy tap-in past Soderblom. 5-0, Mammoth. That's a pass Byram cannot let reach the far post. Greene must also do more in coverage to take away the most dangerous passing lane.
One wasn't enough for #11 👀
5-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/W1R9EsA5L5— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 2, 2026
Through two periods, the Blackhawks couldn't have played much worse. Utah led 26-9 in shots on goal, 35-9 in scoring chances, and 13-1 in high-danger chances, and 5-0 on the scoreboard.
But wait, there's more (see what I did there?). To add insult to injury, But extended Utah's lead to 6-0 at 12:50 in the third period, deflecting Carcone's shot from the left boards.
Smooth like BUTter 🧈
6-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/rvBXI1A9se— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 2, 2026
One of the few quality opportunities for the Blackhawks on Thursday. Anton Frondell was all alone with Vejmelka on the rush and beat him cleanly with a wrist shot from the left circle. But because nothing went right for the visitors in Utah, the puck clanked off the post and sailed into the corner. Vejmelka's shutout bid remained secure.
Frondell beats Vejmelka but hits the post: pic.twitter.com/IIn8KJ1nwS
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) October 2, 2026
The final horn sounded at the Delta Center, with the Mammoth earning a 6-0 shutout win in their season opener. Up next, the Blackhawks take on the Buffalo Sabres in the final game of their season-opening road trip on Saturday. The game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT at KeyBank Center in New York.
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The post Blackhawks Stomped 6-0 By Mammoth, Concerning Start To Season Continues appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now .
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