Tonight, the New Jersey Devils will play the first game of their Western Canada road trip against the Vancouver Canucks. After a shaky start, the club finished October with a 6-3-0 record including two three-game winning streaks. Head coach Lindy Ruff’s team will look to keep their current winning streak alive against Bruce Boudreau and his team.
The last meeting between these two clubs was on March 15, 2022. Canucks forward Bo Horvat scored two goals and added an assist for his team in their 6-3 win. Both Yegor Sharangovich and Jack Hughes had a two-point night for New Jersey. The last time the Devils won a game in Vancouver was back on Nov. 10, 2019.
Setting the Stage
New Jersey’s team reporter Amanda Stein shared that the Devils are having an optional morning skate so fans will need to wait until tonight for the official lineup. Below are the lines from Monday’s practice in Vancouver.
New Jersey’s Lineup From Monday’s Practice:
Tomas Tatar – Nico Hischier – Fabian Zetterlund
Erik Haula – Hughes – Jesper Bratt
Sharangovich – Dawson Mercer – Jesper Boqvist
Miles Wood – Michael McLeod – Nathan Bastian
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Ryan Graves – John Marino
Brendan Smith – Damon Severson
Mackenzie Blackwood / Vitek Vanecek
Related: 4 Takeaways From Devils Dominate 7-1 Victory over Blue Jackets
Vancouver’s Lineup from Monday’s Practice:
Conor Garland – Horvat – J.T. Miller
Ilya Mikheyev – Elias Pettersson – Andrei Kuzmenko
Tanner Pearson – Jack Studnicka – Nils Höglander
Vasily Podkolzin – Nils Åman – Da kota Joshua/Brock Boeser
Oliver Ekman Larsson – Tyler Myers
Quinn Hughes – Luke Schenn
Riley Stillman – Ethan Bear
Thatcher Demko
How to Watch and Listen
Tonight’s 10:00 P.M. broadcast will be exclusively on MSG Networks with Bill Spaulding and Ken Daneyko. Host Erika Wachter will set the stage at 9:30 P.M. As always, fans can listen to tonight’s contest on the Devils Hockey Network.
2 Storylines: Vancouver Canucks (2-5-2)
Devils Are a Big Test for the Canucks
Yesterday, Boudreau met with the media and said the Devils are probably the hottest team in the league right now. He elaborated when asked what stands out most.
“They play fast and shoot from everywhere. They attack the net and they’re great in transition,” he said. ” …At any second they can get into a two-on-one or three-on-two, and they’re skilled up front so they make it hurt when they do that.”
Vancouver will most likely want to forget their first month of the 2022-23 season as their two victories came on Oct. 27th and 28th against the Seattle Kraken and Pittsburgh Penguins. The good news for Canucks fans is that the team is entering tonight’s contest on a two-game winning streak. On the other hand, New Jersey will be looking for their fourth consecutive win for the first time since Oct. 6 – 16, 2018.
Jack Studnicka and Ethan Bear Are Set to Make Their Canucks Debut
The Canucks made two trades last week bringing in defenseman Ethan Bear from the Carolina Hurricanes and center Jack Studnicka from the Boston Bruins. After the trade for the blueliner, Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin talked about what Bear can bring to his team.
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“Obviously, we’ve watched [Bear] through the Western Hockey League starting in Seattle and had an early start in Edmonton and got traded to Carolina, and hopefully he’s excited to come back to Canada and be part of the Vancouver Canucks and hopefully this will give the coaching staff more options on the back end,” Allvin said. “He’s a very smart defenseman and he showed early in his career in Edmonton that he is a really good puck mover and transition defenseman.”
Tonight will mark Bear’s 2022-23 season debut as he was a healthy scratch for the Hurricanes. Studnicka, 23, only played one game with the Bruins this season. He has seven career points (one goal, six assists) in 38 regular-season games.
2 Storylines: New Jersey Devils (6-3-0)
The Hughes Bowl: Round Five
It’s always exciting to see two brothers battle and it seems like Quinn Hughes will return to the ice after being sidelined with a lower-body injury. The blueliner recently told the media he is excited to get back on the ice and mentioned his parents will be in town for the matchup. This will be the third time that Ellen and Jim Hughes will be in the crowd to see their middle son play as they were spotted at Prudential Center for the Devils’ victory against the Anaheim Ducks and Little Caesars Arena for New Jersey’s win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Since Jack joined the league in the 2019-20 season, the Devils have gotten the best of the Canucks winning four of their last five contests including an impressive 7-2 victory back on Feb. 28, 2022. Throughout his career, Jack has five points (three goals, two assists) in four games against Vancouver. On the other hand, Quinn is still looking for his first goal against coach Ruff’s team and has two assists in four games.
Shots Shots Shots
The Devils have been firing on all cylinders. During Sunday’s matinee against the Columbus Blue Jackets, they put 53 shots on goal with Hischier collecting eight and Wood earning seven. Through nine games New Jersey has 354 shots on goal, which is third best behind the New York Rangers who have played 10 games and Los Angeles Kings who have played 11. Vancouver has played the same amount of games as New Jersey and has only 251 shots on goal.
Players to Watch
New Jersey Devils: John Marino
In nine short games, Marino has become not only a fan favorite, but one of the team’s most consistent defensemen. He took on the responsibility of defending Nathan Mackinnon on Oct. 28 and Johnny Gaudreau on Oct. 30 and kept both superstars off the scoresheet. In addition to his defensive abilities, he has found himself on the scoresheet putting up four points in five games.
Vancouver Canucks: J.T. Miller
It’s been a tough start for Miller who signed a $56 million contract in early September. To start the season he was on the ice for every single one of the first eight goals against the Canucks. In nine games he has seven points (five goals, two assists) including four points on the power play. Entering tonight’s contest he leads the team in career points versus New Jersey with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 26 games.
