Arizona State and Utah are showing an ability to score but struggling to stop opponents from getting baskets.

Due to those struggles both teams find themselves residing near the bottom of the Big 12 heading into Wednesday’s contest in Salt Lake City, when Arizona State attempts to avoid a third straight loss and Utah hopes to stop its own three-game slide.

Arizona State (11-11, 2-7 Big 12) has allowed at least 80 points in six conference games so far and its 80.1 points allowed are 14th in the conference.

The Sun Devils are coming off Saturday’s 87-74 home loss to top-ranked Arizona when they faded after an evenly-played opening half. Arizona State was outscored 49-36 in the final 20 minutes and shot 41.5%, marking its third-worst showing in conference play.

“We just weren’t able to stand up to the challenge on the interior, whether that meant stopping their drive or getting a big defensive rebound when we needed to,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said.

Arizona State is led by Maurice Odum’s 17.1 points, and he scored 15 on Saturday. Odum had a 33-point showing in a 14-point win over Cincinnati on Jan. 24 but is 11-of-29 from the floor in his past two games.

Utah (9-12, 1-7) is averaging 79.5 points but allowing a league-worst 81.5. The Utes have five double-digit conference losses, including an 81-69 setback at Oklahoma State on Saturday which prompted coach Alex Jensen to criticize the selfishness of his team.

“Too many guys are in their own world,” Jensen said. “Too many guys start the game thinking about just scoring. We didn’t pass, and then, obviously, that hurts our defense. But there’s also other ways to be selfish: guys not talking, guys not being ready to shoot, like that. That’s a way to be selfish, as well, but we need to do a better job.”

The Utes allowed 48.5% shooting, the seventh time they allowed at least 48.5% in conference games.

Utah is hoping to get another productive showing from Terrence Brown, whose 22.1 points per game are third in the Big 12.

Brown scored 20 points on Saturday and is 38-for-69 (55.1%) over his past four games.

–Field Level Media

Seth Jarvis scored two goals, Sebastian Aho supplied a goal and two assists and Jordan Staal scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:07 remaining as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on Tuesday night in Raleigh, N.C.

Brandon Bussi made 22 saves, including strong work down the stretch, to boost his record to 22-3-1 as a rookie. The Hurricanes, whose points streak increased to a season-best nine games (7-0-2), saw a two-goal lead vanish. However, they recovered on Staal’s 14th goal of the season when the Senators were slow to respond on a line change.

Stephen Halliday, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson, who also had an assist, scored for the Senators, who fell short of notching their first five-game winning streak of the season. Nick Cozens provided two assists. James Reimer, a former Carolina goalie (2019-21), made 14 saves in defeat.

The Hurricanes, competing in their final home game prior to the Olympic break, managed only two shots on goal in the third period.

Jarvis scored twice in a span of 3 minute, 2 seconds in the second period as the Hurricanes built a 3-1 lead.

But 40 seconds after his second goal, Stutzle posted a power-play goal. Then Sanderson pulled the Senators even on a power-play goal 4:57 into the third period.

It marked the third time in a six-day span that the Hurricanes didn’t protect a multiple-goal lead, but they’ve recovered to win two of those.

Halliday tipped in a Jordan Spence shot for the game’s first goal 2:46 into the game.

Jarvis boosted his goals total to 25. Aho has a three-game goals streak and he became Carolina’s third player to reach the 20-goal mark this season. Staal, the captain, has surpassed his goal total of last season.

–Field Level Media

Elvis Merzlikins made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season and Mathieu Olivier scored two goals in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday in Newark, N.J.

The Blue Jackets extended their season-high winning streak to six games. Columbus is 10-1-0 in its past 11 games and has won five straight away games after completing a 3-0-0 road trip on Tuesday.

Merzlikins earn his 12th career shutout while improving to 11-8-1 on the season. After some early struggles, Merzlikins has played better during the Jackets’ hot streak, splitting starts with Jet Greaves.

Olivier’s two goals and Dante Fabbro’s go-ahead goal all came during a commanding third period for the Blue Jackets, who outshot New Jersey 13-7 in the final frame.

Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 of 25 shots for the Devils, who are 1-4-0 in their past five games.

Nico Hischier and Arseny Gritsyuk each hit the post in the third period as New Jersey took its sixth shutout loss. The Devils have scored only 142 times this season, tied for the third-fewest goals of any team in the NHL.

A would-be goal from the Blue Jackets’ Danton Heinen 5:10 into the first period was nullified after the Devils made a successful goalie-interference challenge. That was as close as either team came to scoring over the first 45 minutes, in part due to solid goaltending at both ends.

Columbus finally broke the deadlock 5:24 into the third period, as Fabbro’s shot from outside the circle beat a screened Markstrom. Fabbro was making his return to the lineup after a foot laceration kept him out of the previous six games.

Olivier extended the lead at the 12:05 mark as the Jackets took advantage of a sloppy New Jersey line change. Cole Sillinger’s pass found a wide-open Olivier, who converted a slick backhanded shot.

Markstrom was pulled with just under five minutes remaining in the third period, but it was the Blue Jackets who took advantage while down 6-on-5. At the 16:00 minute mark, Dougie Hamilton slashed Olivier when the Jackets forward was approaching the empty net, and Olivier was awarded an automatic goal.

–Field Level Media