^{That’s right, the Devils come down to Geo… I mean the Delta Center.}

Back at the 10 game mark of the season, Utah and the New Jersey Devils sat atop the NHL, 16 points apiece. The teams had similar scoring and defense stats, shots differential and were both looking great. The sky was the limit.

Then November happened. Utah had one of the worst records of the month, posting a 4-8-3 record, and getting the lowest point percentage in the league. Utah’s scoring dried up, their defense gave up, and the only bright spot was a PK that was top 10 in the league.

New Jersey, meanwhile, held steady. Not the best in the league, but well over .500, going 8-5-1 for the month. Their scoring and defense also came to earth – with a winning record but negative goal differential – the Devils were all over the place. At one point, New Jersey went to 5 straight overtime games, winning 4 of them. 2 of their wins were by margins of more than 1 goal, and they lost by 2+ in 4 of the 5 losses. They won tight games, or got blown out – there was no in-between.

Enter December, where the Devils are now struggling. 3-6-0 in December (3-7 in their last 10). One of their wins was in a shootout. Their scoring has dried up, averaging 2 goals a game, and giving up more than 3.3. Their PP sits at just 13%, and their PK is an abysmal 52%. Utah? 5-5-0 in their last 10, scoring more than 3.4 a game, and giving up about 3. PP is finally back on track, with a 20% success rate, and PK remains hot, at nearly 90%.

What gives with New Jersey? Jack Hughes doesn’t know how to cut a steak.

OK, while I’m kind of joking, I’m also not. Hughes went on IR because he hurt himself at a team dinner, where he cut himself so bad he needed surgery. He’s out for another few weeks. Evgenii Dadonov and Simon Nemec went out the same day, both until probably the turn of the calendar year. Now, Timo Meier is out for personal reasons.

The Devils are missing several of their key pieces and have been since mid-November when Hughes went out. Since then, it’s been next man up on the RW position for the past few games.

How bad is it for the Devils? Well, Hughes is a 1+ point per game player, so that blow is harsh alone. Meier? Not quite as good, but still good for .75/g. Nemec? .6 – those three players alone are another 1-2 goals a game.

Defense is also an issue, with Nemec their most steady defenseman and point producer. Luke Hughes, Jack’s brother, is also a point producing defenseman, but Luke’s not nearly as skilled defensively as Nemec. Johnny Kovacevic, also on the IR, was one of the top shutdown defensemen that the Devils had. Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton form a good defensive pairing, but the defense from there gets a little more suspect with the depth of injuries. Brett Pesce also did just return, so we’ll see how well he performs after his stint on the IR.

Goaltending also came crashing to earth for the Devils, with Jake Allen, who posted a 2.27 GAA and nearly .920 save percentage through the first 13 starts, now giving up 3+ GAA and sub .900 in his past 5. Jacob Markstrom has been consistent all year – 3.4+ GAA, about .880 monthly, thought just a shade better in December than previous games.

Key points to secure a victory today:
Devil’s in the Details With so many injuries in so many key places, the Mammoth should be able to key in specifically on a handful of threats. Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer – the top line for the Devils – represent their biggest and, frankly, only real offensive threats at the moment. Bratt and Hischier account for 2 of the 3 PPG’s they’ve had this month; the other by Meier who’s out.

Defensively, the Siegenthaler and Hamilton pairing will be the one that will be most difficult for the Mammoth, but other than watching out for Luke Hughes having some offensive output, the other defensive lines may be lacking… depending on how Pesce plays. Regardless, there are not 3 deep lines defensively for the Devils, so Andre Tourigny needs to figure out how best to deploy against the depleted rival.

Trash Compactor With the Devil’s power play wilting on the vine, and with Utah’s PK as solid as it is, the team should feel free to be a little more high-energy and feel the ability to be a little more free with their plays. Getting aggressive, even borderline holding and hooking, shouldn’t really hurt the Mammoth at all. Getting chippy, drawing the Devils into taking stupid penalties can yield significant dividends. With just a 50/50 shot of keeping a PP unit out of the net, trading penalties all night long may be a worthwhile strategy.

Get them shorthanded, often. The more Devils time in the box, the better.

Kerfect Timing With Alex Kerfoot potentially starting tonight, adding a solid, steady presence on the 4th line can provide Utah a significant morale boost – as well as a key player to take faceoffs (he was over 52% last year), and another great addition to the PK line. Kerfoot actually was top 50 in the entire NHL in shorthanded points in his past 2 seasons, with 4 goals between them.

Wouldn’t it be something to get a shorthanded goal against a massively struggling Devils power play in his first game back?

His presence also gives a chance to let Stenlund rest and try and recover from his cheap shot injury a few weeks ago against Vegas. Allowing Stenlund time to recover his form – shooting percentage and face off percentage – would be not just a boost with Kerfy back, but Stenlund back to… better.

Projected Lineups:
As reported by Cole Bagley:
Per Tourigny, there will be some game time decisions tonight against the Devils.

TUSKS UP!