^{Hopefully they can repeat their early magic against the surging Sharks}

Back when homestands actually meant more than 2 games and we were all fresh-eyed optimists, the Sharks visited the Delta Center. Utah came away with a 6-3 win – their largest margin of victory and greatest offensive output to that point in the year. While they would later score 7 against the Blues, the Sharks game sticks out in particular for how effective the offense performed.

San Jose’s offense was stifled in that game. They were held to 21 shots, and the only momentum they had was on the power play, going 2 for 3.

Fast forward 4 weeks. The Mammoth are struggling to put up more than 2 goals a game, losing 5 of their last 6. The Sharks, meanwhile, have won several difficult games against playoff caliber opponents – 5-2 over the Devils, 3-2 over Colorado, and 2-1 over Winnipeg. The Sharks come into tonight’s game on a 6-2-1 tear losing only twice in regulation in their past 9 games.

Since the end of October, San Jose has the 5th highest point percentage in the league. They’ve scored 24 goals during that stretch. The San Jose defense – not known for actually defending – has picked up significantly in the past two weeks, allowing just 16 goals in that stretch. All this is occurring while Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are piling up points – 8 goals and 19 points between them. While this is a semi-flawed stat, the Sharks have just 4 players in negative +/- territory in that stretch. They’re not just scoring, they’re scoring all across the board and all their lines have been outplaying the opposition.

During this same timeframe, Utah’s blistering hot start has chilled to temperatures I’m not sure even Mammoths can endure. 2-4-2 in their last 8, they’re posting the second worst point percentage in the league. They’ve scored just 20 goals in those 8 games, while giving up 28. Take out that one Sabres game as the anomaly it was, and they’re scoring just barely over 2 goals a game.

Needless to say, trending directions makes tonight’s tail end of a back-to-back a monumental task for the Mammoth.

Key points to secure a victory today:

Get Over It That gut punch of a deflating loss last night needs to be put as far behind them as Veggie and the net in overtime. This needs to be a coaching moment. Take a bad loss, learn from it. Learn to hate to lose as much as you love to win. Refuse to collapse like that again at the end of a game.

It’s a test of mettle at this point, and they need to put their big boy pants on.

Shoot? The frustration about yesterday’s game stems from a few major issues – the worst of which was the shots that were passed up in favor of trying to get the perfect opportunity. In OT, despite controlling the puck for all but about 5 seconds, no shots came from the Mammoth forwards. In the 1st period, 10+ minutes of no shots. In the second, multiple stretches of no shots. The third saw them trying to hold a lead, but even when the had an open net to shoot for, they seemed hesitant.

Tonight, the Mammoth face Yaroslav Askarov. He’s going to presumably be the Sharks’ #1 goalie for the future. His record for the year was shaky to start – giving up the 6 goals against Utah was his second worst save percentage and goals against game of the year. However, since then, he’s faced 5 games of 29+ shots (171) and has given up 6 goals in that span. The only game he gave up more than one? Colorado, who scored 2 and put up nearly 40 shots.

His only loss was a shutout against, where he gave up 1 goal on 35 shots.

Trying to find the perfect shot tonight is a recipe for disaster. Askarov needs to be tested low on the pads, to give up rebounds. Utah needs to crash the net, get tips in close. Askaraov is locked in with Vezina numbers his past two weeks. They need to push until that dam breaks.

Vanecek Needs to play his best game of the year. The Sharks are able to put up points, as mentioned above, and when facing Askarov in top form, Utah’s struggling offense will find goals to be scarce. The only way to keep this game close is if Vanecek has his best game of the year – including his preseason game where he saved 32 of 33 against the Kings. The Sharks aren’t shooting high volumes, but they are crushing their chances lately. If Vitek gives up 2+, this game could be out of reach.

Projected Lineup:

TUSKS UP!