Thriving Devils Begin Canadian Road Trip In Vancouver

The New Jersey Devils Take On The Vancouver Canucks (Bill Kostroun NY Post)

Things are taking a big turn for the New Jersey Devils. After starting the season 0-2 due to poor goaltending and the lack of finishing, the team has begun to right the ship. Entering the Western Canada road trip, the Devils sit in first place in the Metropolitan Division and are riding a three-game win streak. The streak is highlighted by a shutout win over the Colorado Avalanche and whipping the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-1. 

New Jersey has suffered some key injuries as of late. Ondrej Palat was recently put on injured reserve, and in addition, the Devils have recalled Andreas Johnsson. 

The opponent for this evening is the Vancouver Canucks. Despite starting the year without a win in its first seven games, Vancouver has won two straight and is trying to get things on track after a tough start. They currently have a 2-5-2 record and sit in the basement of the conference and division. Quinn Hughes remains a game-time decision as that next battle of the Hughes Brothers takes place. 

Projected Lineups

New Jersey Devils

Check the New Jersey Devils social media sites for more accurate lineup closer to puck drop. 

Vancouver Canucks

Forwards:

Miller-Horvat-Garland

Kuzmenko-Pettersson-Mikheyev

Pearson-Studnicka-Hoglander

Podkolzin-Aman-Joshua

Defense:

Hughes-Myers

Ekman-Larsson-Bear

Rathbone-Burroughs

Goaltending:

Demko

Martin

Vitek Vanecek has helped New Jersey immensely. (Photo via NHL.com)

What To Watch For

Vitek Vanecek

The off-season goaltending acquisition has looked great in his last three starts. After getting slaughtered in the home opener, he has looked very sharp. Vanecek has not let in more than two goals in his last three starts, including shutting out the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Looking comfortable and confident in net, Vanecek has emerged into the goalie they expected when they traded for him. His last three starts saw him post good save percentages (.909, 1.00, .952) and he now owns a .903 save percentage for the year. It’s comforting to see a bounce-back effort and he looks to pick up where he left off headed into Canada. 

Special Teams Play

One thing to watch for in this game is special teams play. As, when it comes to even strength, the Devils have been the most dominant team in that area. Not at even strength, the Devils have been decent. The Devils power play ranks 21st with a 19.2% success rate, which will face the league’s worst penalty kill in Vancouver. 

On the flip side, Vancouver currently has the 10th-best power play with a 25% success rate, whereas the Devil’s penalty kill ranks fourth in the league.

New Jersey will want to key in on Bo Horvat and JT Miller, who both are tied for the team lead in power play goals. The Devils killed off every penalty against Colorado, who has the best unit in the league.

How To Watch? 

Tonight’s matchup is at 10:00 P.M. ET and can be found on MSG. 

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