The Devils look to tally their fourth win of the season against the Utah Hockey Club on Monday afternoon at The Rock. Let’s examine the matchup in this game preview.
The Essentials:
Matchup: Utah Hockey Club at New Jersey Devils
Date: October 14, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Broadcast: MSGSN, Utah16
Listen: Devils Hockey Network
Last Devils Game: The New Jersey Devils defeated the Washington Capitals with a final score of 5-3. See Chris’ recap of that game here.
Last Utah Game: The Utah Hockey Club got a pair of goals from Clayton Keller and defeated the New York Rangers 6-5 in overtime at Madison Square Garden. Isn’t that a shame? See the NHL.com game report here.
The Lineups:
New Jersey Devils
Head coach Sheldon Keefe has largely kept the forward lines the same through the first four games of the season. One adjustment that Keefe made against the Capitals was moving Paul Cotter up to the third line with Stefan Noesen and Erik Haula. The move worked as Cotter scored twice against the Caps. As of the writing of this preview, I’d expect those lines and the defensive pairings to remain the same. Since Jacob Markstrom started the last two games, I would expect Jake Allen starts against Utah.
Forwards:
Jesper Bratt – Jack Hughes – Timo Meier
Tomas Tatar – Nico Hischier – Daweson Mercer
Paul Cotter – Erik Haula – Stefan Noesen
Ondrej Palat – Curtis Lazar – Nathan Bastian
Defense:
Brenden Dillon – Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler – Johnathan Kovacevic
Seamus Casey – Simon Nemec
Goaltenders:
Jake Allen
Jacob Markstrom
Utah Hockey Club
Here is how Utah lined up against the Rangers per Alex Tumalip at The Hockey News and Natural Stat Trick:
Forwards:
Nick Schmaltz – Barrett Hayton – Clayton Keller
Jack McBain – Logan Cooley – Dylan Guenther
Lawson Crouse – Josh Doan – Alex Kerfoot
Matias Maccelli – Kevin Stenlund – Michael Carcone
Defense:
Mikhail Sergachev – Sean Durzi
Juuso Valimaki – Michael Kesselring
Vladislav Kolyachanok – Ian Cole
Goaltenders:
Karel Vejmelka
Connor Ingram
Connor Ingram faced 34 shots against the Rangers and has started all of Utah’s games this season so I anticipate Karel Vejmelka starting in net against the Devils on Monday.
What to Watch For:
Young Scoring Threats
One of the few bright spots from the former Arizona Coyotes teams was Clayton Keller. The former seventh overall pick from 2016 scored 37 goals in 2022-2023 and 33 goals in 2023-2024. The train wreck that was the Coyotes has surrounded Keller with high draft picks that have had success so far in 2024-2025. Logan Cooley, the third overall pick in 2022, scored 20 goals in his rookie season and has recorded five assists in three games this season. Dylan Guenther, the ninth overall pick in 2021, scored 18 goals last season but has posted five goals already this season. Against the Rangers on Saturday, Keller recorded two goals and an assist, Guenther posted a power play goal, and Cooley had an assist. Utah has found some success offensively so far and the Devils will need to play well defensively to keep them in check.
Better Defensive Play From Nemec and Casey
Of course, there will be growing pains from the Devils’ young defensemen. I have loved Seamus Casey’s offensive contributions this season, but there have been some ups and downs defensively. That is to be expected! In the win over the Capitals, when the Devils were pinned in their defensive zone, struggling to get the puck out of their end, it was often the defensive pairing of Simon Nemec and Casey on the ice. Look for this pairing to bounce back, simplify their play, and focus on getting pucks out of the defensive zone however possible.
Better Start
The Devils took time to find their legs and establish their game plan versus Toronto and Washington. The opponent scored on the Devils first in both games. Devils fans watched this happen FAR too often last year. Look for Sheldon Keefe to have his team ready to go from the opening whistle against Utah.
Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images
Prediction: Jack Hughes Scores
Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka posted a save percentage of .897 in 38 games last season, which is less than impressive. The Rangers scored five times on Utah on Saturday. The New York Islanders, a team not known for their offensive firepower, scored four times on Utah last week. The Devils can take advantage of Utah’s goaltending, as well as their defense, and I think Jack Hughes is the one to reap the benefits. Hughes has two assists so far this season and fans are getting antsy about the lack of goals. I see it in the comments sections. To be clear, Hughes is just fine and will continue to be an offensive catalyst on this team. I foresee Hughes scoring in this matchup!
You Thoughts
Do you think Jack scores tonight? What have you thought about the pairing of Nemec and Casey? Will you be ditching the day job to go to The Rock or did you get the day off? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for reading and GO DEVILS!!!