Welcome to the “Hughes Bowl” for the second and final time this season. The New Jersey Devils (21-14-2) enter the second of a back-to-back set and take on the Vancouver Canucks (24-11-3) after their 4-2 victory against Chicago last night.
New Jersey has struggled in the second game of back to backs this season, posting a record of 1-6-1. Tonight is a tough matchup for the Devils, as Vancouver owns one of the league’s best records.
The Devils may have to take down the Canucks without Jack Hughes. He fell awkwardly and exited the game against the Blackhawks in the third period. Vitek Vanecek got the nod against the Blackhawks and it looks like it’ll be Nico Daws in net for the Devils. Interestingly enough, the Devils are 15-1-0 in their last 16 against the Canucks.
Projected Lineup
Vancouver Canucks
Forwards
Mikheyev-Pettersson-Lafferty
Suter-Miller-Boeser
Joshua-Blueger-Garland
Hoglander-Aman-Karlsson
Defense
Hughes-Hronek
Zadorov-Myers
Cole-Juulsen
Goalies
Demko
DeSmith
New Jersey Devils
Check back closer to puck drop given the uncertainty surrounding the team’s lineup.
What to Watch For
Goaltending, Goaltending, Goaltending
It is no secret that the Devils goaltending has been a question mark all season long. They currently sit 32nd in team save percentage (.880) and have a combined goals saved above expected of -16.2. That’s not ideal but tonight they’ll need to be at their best. Coming into town is a high flying offense in the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks have weapons and there is no shortage of them. J.T. Miller is paving the way with 50 points and Quinn Hughes has been playing Norris Trophy caliber hockey all season long. Additionally, Elias Pettersson is sitting comfortably with 45 points and Brock Boeser leads the team with 24 goals. As a team, they average 3.76 goals per game and have scored a league best 143 in all situations. For Nico Daws, he will need to be at his best, as he has a tough challenge ahead.
Daws has played two games this season for the Devils, both resulting in victories. He’s posted a .906 save percentage (SV%). The sample size is small but he has posted a -0.7 goals saved above expected.
Winning the Special Teams Battle
Special teams will be a factor in this game. Coming into tonight’s matchup, Vancouver has the 23rd-ranked penalty kill with a 78.1% success rate, whereas the Devils have the 25th-ranked unit with a 76.9% success rate. Whichever team can reign supreme in this regard will give its team a chance to further secure the two points.
Both teams enter play with some of the best power play units that the league has to offer. New Jersey has been lethal on the power play all season long and comes into the game with the third ranked unit. They’ll want to sharpen up, as they went 0-for-6 with the man advantage against a weaker Chicago penalty kill.
Both New Jersey and Vancouver sit sixth and seventh in power goals scored. If given the opportunity, the team that can win the special teams battle
Where to Watch
Tonight’s puck drop is at 7:00 pm ET and can be found on MSG.