After recording their only two wins of October against the Seattle Kraken and Pittsburgh Penguins, the Vancouver Canucks now get ready to take on the 6-3 New Jersey Devils, who just destroyed the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-1 on Sunday (Oct. 30). A game in which they also put up a staggering 53 shots on goal and outshot the Jackets 20-5 and 22-9 in the first and third periods respectively. Needless to say, they are coming in hot, as they have won their last three games and sit tied with the New York Rangers atop the Metropolitan Division with 12 points.
Related: Canucks News & Rumors: Bear, Studnicka, Hughes & More
The Canucks will have their work cut out for them, especially considering their struggles in the third period as of late. While they righted the ship a bit against the Penguins scoring three goals, they still have been outscored 16-7 in the final frame this season. Even during their last game, they were overwhelmed to start the period and only a brilliant performance by Spencer Martin kept the fans from seeing a re-run of their previous seven losses.
The Canucks last played the Devils at Rogers Arena on March 15, 2022, a game they won 6-3 on the strength of two goals by captain Bo Horvat and a three-point night from J.T. Miller. Nils Hoglander, Brad Hunt, Tanner Pearson, and Juho Lammikko rounded out the scoring for Vancouver while Jack Hughes, Ryan Graves, and Nathan Bastian did the damage for the Devils. Demko started in goal and stopped 32 of 35 shots and Nico Daws/Jon Gillies split the net at the other end.
With that, here’s a full preview of the 119th matchup between the Devils and Canucks, one that sees Vancouver comfortably ahead in the all-time record book with a 54-43-17-4 record.
Setting the Stage
Canucks’ Projected Lineup
Connor Garland – Bo Horvat – J.T. Miller
Ilya Mikheyev – Elias Pettersson – Andrei Kuzmenko
Tanner Pearson – Jack Studnicka – Nils Höglander
Vasily Podkolzin – Nils Åman – Dakota Joshua
Oliver Ekman Larsson – Tyler Myers
Quinn Hughes – Luke Schenn
Riley Stillman – Ethan Bear
Thatcher Demko
Lines provided by Brendan Batchelor on Twitter
Devils’ Projected Lineup
Tomas Tatar – Nico Hischier – Fabian Zetterlund
Erik Haula – Jack Hughes – Jesper Bratt
Yegor Sharangovich – Dawson Mercer – Jesper Boqvist
Miles Wood – Michael McLeod – Nathan Bastian
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Ryan Graves – John Marino
Brendan Smith – Damon Severson
Vitek Vanecek
Lines provided by Daily Faceoff
3 Storylines: Vancouver Canucks (2-5-2)
Hughes & Stillman Expected to Return; Boeser Game-time Decision
After missing the last four games with a lower-body injury, the Canucks number-one defenceman will return to the lineup against the Devils. Yes, Quinn Hughes is back, and not a moment too soon as the defence has struggled a bit without him. The man that quarterbacks the power play from the point and plays over 25 minutes a night will be patrolling the blue line once again – but not alongside new acquisition Ethan Bear, but his tried-and-true partner Luke Schenn.
Related: 10 NHL Teams off to Unexpected Starts in October
Riley Stillman, who also missed the last four games – but with an undisclosed injury – is expected to play against the Devils too. He was seen practicing on a pairing with Bear on Monday (Oct. 31) and should add a much-needed boost to the third pairing. Finally, Brock Boeser skated but will be a game-time decision. He has been out of the lineup since Oct. 22 against the Buffalo Sabres and was subbing in for Dakota Joshua on the fourth line during practice.
Bear & Studnicka Make Their Canucks Debut
As mentioned Bear will make his debut with the Canucks on the third pairing with Stillman after being acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday (Oct. 28) for a 2023 fifth-round pick. The two-way defenceman has not played a game yet this season and is coming off a 2021-22 campaign where he scored five goals and 14 points in 58 games. Selected 124th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 Draft, the 5-foot-11 Regina native has 13 goals and 47 points in 190 career NHL games along with 230 shot blocks and 159 hits. His best season came back in 2019-20 when he scored five goals and 21 points and finished 10th in Calder Trophy voting.
Another newcomer in Jack Studnicka will also wear a Canucks jersey for the first time as he will be suiting up after being acquired from the Boston Bruins on Thursday (Oct. 27). He hasn’t had much success so far in his NHL career, but Patrik Allvin and company are hoping a change in scenery will shift his fortunes. Selected 53rd overall by the Bruins in 2017, he was once thought of as a top prospect but has fallen from grace in recent years. Still only 23, he will debut on a line with Hoglander and Pearson, which has the potential to be a very quick and gritty trio to play against.
Hughes Sibling Rivalry: Jack vs. Quinn Part 5
Quinn returns to the lineup just in time to face his younger brother Jack for the fifth time in his NHL career. Being a forward, Jack has a huge leg up when it comes to points in the head-to-head matchup as he comes in with three goals and five points, while Quinn only has two assists. As for who has bragging rights, that would be Jack who has been on the winning side three times to Quinn’s one. However, Quinn can claim the latest victory as his Canucks came away 6-3 winners in their last meetup in March.
“I feel really good,” Hughes said. “It’s not fun being injured, so I’m excited to come back and it should be fun, especially against the Devils with my parents in town, my brother in town. We need the points, but it should be a fun game.”
As mentioned, Jack and Quinn’s parents will be in Vancouver to take in the action at Rogers Arena. It will be interesting to see what flavor of jersey each of them will be wearing.
Speaking of jerseys, the Canucks will also be rocking their new Reverse Retros for the first time this season. Sibling rivalry, new players, and new jerseys? All in all, it should be a fun night.
3 Storylines: New Jersey Devils (6-3-0)
Who Will Ruff Hard Match Marino Against?
In the Devils’ last game versus the Blue Jackets, head coach Lindy Ruff hard-matched new defenceman John Marino against Johnny Gaudreau, arguably Columbus’ best player right now. He did a good job too, limiting the superstar to zero high-danger chances and only one shot on goal. Gaudreau also logged an abysmal 26.67 Corsi for percentage (CF%). Before that game, Marino was matched against Nathan MacKinnon. I think it’s safe to say Ruff trusts him to be his shutdown defenceman. That begs the question, who will he match him against in Vancouver? Pettersson or Miller’s line?
Jesper Bratt On Fire to Start 2022-23
There were a couple of days last week when Bratt led the NHL in scoring – not Connor McDavid, not Leon Draisaitl, Jesper Bratt. Currently leading the Devils with 15 points in nine games, he is on pace to hit the century mark, something no Devil has ever done. Patrik Elias and Taylor Hall both got close with 96 and 93 points respectively, but no one has hit that elusive 100-point plateau. Could Bratt, a former sixth-round pick do it? We will just have to wait and see.
Regardless, the Canucks will have to shut Bratt down if they have any hope of winning this game. That will be difficult to do though since he has recorded a point in all nine games the Devils have played so far this season. He is also on a line with arguably their best center in Jack Hughes, who has been somewhat of a Canuck Killer in the early going with five points in four career games.
Devils Playing Hard at Both Ends of the Ice
After starting the season slowly, the Devils are now one of the hottest teams in the league, both offensively and defensively. Tied with the Chicago Blackhawks (of all teams) and New York Rangers for ninth in goals-for with 31 and sixth in goals-against with 23, it’s no surprise they are currently at the top of the Metro with 12 points. They have also outscored their opponents 14-3 during their three-game winning streak and are riding the hot hand of Vitek Vanecek, who has been in goal for all three. Long story short, the Canucks are going to be in tough to come away with a win in this one.
Up Next For the Canucks
After facing the Devils, the four-game homestand will continue for the Canucks with Kevin Bieksa night on Nov. 3 vs. the Anaheim Ducks (2-6-1). He will sign a one-day contract to retire with the team that drafted him 151st overall in 2001. A franchise he also played 597 games with and scored 56 goals and 241 points, which included arguably the biggest moment in the history of the Canucks, the overtime goal that sent them to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
