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Utah Mammoth at New Jersey Devils

Tue Oct 67:00 PM ETESPN+Newark, NJ
By JR·2 min read
Mammoth(2-0-0)
Devils(1-1-0)
Tuesday 10/067:00 PM

TLDR: Utah has opened the season by outscoring Chicago and Columbus 10-1. New Jersey took a 6-0 beating on Long Island, and Tuesday's game at the Rock shows whether that was one bad night or a real problem on the blue line.

TUE OCT 6, 7:00 PMESPN+
Mammoth
(2-0-0)
WW
Devils
(1-1-0)
LW

Utah has opened 2-0-0 and outscored its first 2 opponents 10-1, but it plays the Rangers before Tuesday's trip to Newark. The Devils beat Philadelphia in overtime, then lost 6-0 to the Islanders, and they're missing defensemen Seamus Casey and Johnathan Kovacevic. The game likely comes down to whether that thinned New Jersey defense can handle Utah's offense, and which goalie the Devils start.

Utah Mammoth
  • 10-1 goal margin through 2 games
  • Vejmelka opened with a 15-save shutout
  • Guenther, Lee and Keller producing early
  • Rangers game at MSG comes first
  • 3 road games in 4 days
  • Lamoureux still on IR
New Jersey Devils
  • Outshot Flyers 44-25 in the opener
  • Rested at home after Saturday
  • Jack Hughes already has an OT winner

Utah's start has been about as clean as it gets. The Mammoth opened with a 6-0 shutout of the Blackhawks at Delta Center. Karel Vejmelka made 15 saves, Dylan Guenther scored twice and Anders Lee scored in his Mammoth debut. Then they went into Columbus and won 4-1, with 2 goals in the 1st and 2 more in the 3rd. As of Sunday they are 2-0-0, and only 1 puck has gotten past them.

There's a stop before Newark, though. Utah plays the Rangers at the Garden first, the second night of a back-to-back after Columbus. That result changes what the Mammoth look like by Tuesday: the record, how tired they are, and who's in net. They do get Monday off before this one. On the injury side, defenseman Maveric Lamoureux is still on IR, and that's the only name on Utah's list.

The Devils are the opposite story. Their opener looked fine: they outshot the Flyers 44-25 and Jack Hughes won it 3-2 in overtime. Then came the Islanders' home opener. Nico Daws made his first start of the season, it was 0-0 after 1, and New Jersey gave up 3 in the 2nd and 3 more in the 3rd. Both Hughes brothers were held off the scoresheet, and the Islanders are now 8-0-1 in their last 9 against New Jersey.

Utah Mammoth
(2-0-0)
10/03W@Blue Jackets4-1
10/02WvsBlackhawks6-0
New Jersey Devils
(1-1-0)
10/03L@Islanders0-6
10/01WvsFlyers3-2

The blue line is where the Devils are hurting. Seamus Casey had a knee procedure and is on IR, and Johnathan Kovacevic starts the season on the injured non-roster list with a knee injury of his own. The Islanders game exposed how thin that leaves them: the defense got worn down over the final 40 minutes. Up front, Connor Brown (upper body) and Nick Bjugstad (pectoral) are both out, so newcomer Luke Evangelista and the other depth forwards have to carry more of the load.

So the question for Tuesday is simple. Can a Devils defense missing 2 regulars slow down a Utah team that has scored 10 in 2 games, with Keller setting things up and Guenther and the new veterans finishing? New Jersey will be rested and at home, and Sheldon Keefe has to pick between Jake Allen, who stopped 23 of 25 in the opener, and Daws after Saturday. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET at Prudential Center.

Utah Mammoth at New Jersey Devils — Mammoth bring a road trip to Newark as Devils regroup | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush