Sun Devils return to non-conference action with Ohio State next to visit Mullett Arena

Arizona State didn't come away with the 5-point weekend against Denver that I predicted, but did secure a key weekend split after Saturday's thrilling 3-2 overtime victory. This weekend, the Sun Devils will play host to the Ohio State Buckeyes in an "owed" return series from the all-road 2020-21 season.

After starting the season as the preseason No. 16 team according to the USCHO, the Buckeyes got off to a solid start with a sweep against Northern Michigan and a split at No. 12 Connecticut, but have since lost 6 of their 8 games against a very top-heavy Big Ten schedule and are out of the rankings for a third straight week.

The fatal flaw for the Buckeyes so far has been a lack of scoring throughout the lineup, similar to the struggles Arizona State is facing. Félix Caron (5 goals-6 assists) and Jake Karabela (1 G-9 A) are the only skaters to register at least 10 points this season. Senior forward Adam Eisele, junior Max Montes, and sophomore Riley Thompson round out the scoring touch with at least 4 goals apiece, but the consistency has not been there for head coach Steve Rohlik. At exactly 3 goals per game through 12 games, 3 is the magic number for the Buckeyes, who are 5-2-0 when scoring 3 goals or more.

Defensively, Ohio State is led by their two big blue-liners in Broten Sabo and Nathan McBrayer. Sabo comes to Columbus after two seasons with Alaska-Fairbanks and brings a more offensive edge to his game, posting a career line of 10 G-20 A-30 P in 72 games played. His size (6'2", 205 lbs) fits well on the second defensive pairing behind McBrayer who dons the "A" patch in his third season for the Buckeyes. McBrayer brings a more physical approach that contributes well to Ohio State's penalty kill unit, able to clear the net front area and drop down to block shots with high efficiency.

Goaltender Kristoffer Eberly played a large role in the Buckeyes reaching the NCAA tournament last season, splitting the net with senior Logan Terness and going 12-4-1 with a 2.28 goals against average and .915 save percentage in 17 games last season. Now as the lead man in net, he's taken a slight step back as his workload increased, but is still a major factor keeping Ohio State close in games with a 2.78 GAA and .904 SV% in 11 games played.

Special teams will once again be the biggest opportunity for the Sun Devils to pull off a needed series sweep. At 25.4% on the power play, Arizona State has climbed into the top 10 nationally and can improve that standing going up against Ohio State's 24th ranked penalty kill (82.4%).

This series marks the 9th and 10th all time meetings between the Sun Devils and Buckeyes, with Ohio State holding a 4-2-2 overall record. Only one of those series has come in Tempe, an Ohio State sweep at the beginning of the 2018-19 season.

Don't miss any of the action from Mullett Arena this weekend. Friday's game will be a special 3pm matinee ahead of the Territorial Cup, with Saturday being a regular 5pm puck drop. Saturday's game is the annual Teddy Bear Toss, with all donations going to the Phoenix Children's Hospital. Friday is completely sold out at the box office, but tickets still remain for Saturday's finale. Both games will stream nationally on NCHC.tv (subscription required), and Saturday's game will be aired in the Phoenix market on Fox 10.