NEW JERSEY DEVILS (37-28-6) vs. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (32-26-12)
New Jersey ends its three-game homestand by welcoming the Vancouver Canucks.
You can watch on ESPN+ or Hulu or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below. Tonight’s game is presented by Complete Mechanical Solutions.
• TV: ESPN+, Hulu
• RADIO: Devils Hockey Network
The Devils square off against the Canucks tonight at Prudential Center.
NEWARK, NJ – The Devils held a full morning skate on Monday prior to hosting the Vancouver Canucks.
Forward Ondrej Palat, who missed the previous two games with an undisclosed injury, was on the ice with the team and did work in line rushes.
“(Palat) is a great veteran to have on the team,” captain Nico Hischier said. “He knows every situation. It’s great to have him back.”
“To me it’s leadership. When Palat speaks, guys listen,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “It helps settle the groups down. He’s played in high stakes situations. He’s played in every situation.
“There’s been a void with our group the last couple games without him. On the ice he does a lot of the hard work, consistent effort, competitiveness. Palat is very consistent in that. TO me he drives our group in a lot of ways.”
Judging by the workflow, the Devils will have some lineup changes while goalie Jacob Markstrom appears poised to start against his former team.
#NJDevils have changes coming to their forward group today ahead of facing the Canucks:
• Ondrej Palat returns to the lineup.
• Dowling in.
• Lazar and Sprong are out.
• Defense stays the same.
🥅 Markstrom starts pic.twitter.com/cjof2l2S5c
Other lineup notes, it appears that Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian will be scratched while Palat and Justin Dowling are in.
“It’s hard to take them out,” Keefe said of Lazar and Bastian. “When we’re playing out our best, those guys have been a big part of it. We haven’t been playing our best, and those guys to me have slipped a little bit, their game, their effectiveness, the forechecking, that’s part of it.
“The other piece is you look at different things and different people that you want to look at, how it all fits, how it all works and make a decision. That’s really it. I still have lots of belief in those guys. When they come back in, they’ll do a good job for us as they have. Right now, we’re going to look at a little something different.”
Back on Track
The Devils have lost three of their last four games. But prior to that, the team had won three of four. So, it’s been an up-and-down ride of late. The club is trying to find more consistency in its on-ice game.
“We’re seeking consistency as most teams would say they are,” Keefe said. “For us to overcome our circumstances with injuries and all those kinds of things, we need a lot more than what we’re getting right now.”
“A group that plays the same way, believes in each other and we’ve proven that throughout the year,” Hischier said. “We just have to get back to that. Play with confidence and we look forward from here.”
Playing the right way is important, but with just 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Devils are in desperate need of wins.
“We just have to start winning some games,” defenseman Luke Hughes said. “At this point in the year, the race is really tight. We’ve put ourselves in a really good spot, really good position, but we just have to finish it out, go game by game and try to win as many games as possible.”
Brotherly Love
Though Jack Hughes is out of the lineup for the Devils, the matchup will still feature brothers Luke (New Jersey) going against Quinn (Vancouver). With the Canucks on the east coast for a road trip, the brothers have found some time to see each other this week.
“I had some good family time this week,” Luke said.
Canucks Scouting Report
The Canucks are two spots out of the playoffs and will be desperate in the game. While the Devils are in a more comfortable position, they also aren’t a lock for the postseason. So, both teams have a lot to play for tonight.
“They’re going to come out fast,” Luke Hughes said. “They’re in a fight for their lives and we’re starting to get into a big fight. Two teams pushing. We need to come out strong and come out fast.”
THE SCOOP
The Devils dropped their third game in the last four contests after a 3-2 setback to Ottawa on Saturday. The Devils still are comfortably in control of their playoff destiny while sitting in the third spot in the Metro Division with a six-point lead on the NY Rangers. However, the club is trying to start peaking in its performance heading into the playoffs.
Captain Nico Hischier leads the club with 30 goals while Jesper Bratt has a franchise-record 61 assists and 81 points. The Devils have three other players that cracked 20 goals in Jack Hughes (27), Timo Meier (20) and Jesper Bratt (20) with Stefan Noesen sitting on 19. Goalie Jacob Markstrom is still finding his groove since returning from an MCL injury. Meanwhile Jake Allen has put in a few strong performances in his spot duty.
The club will finish the rest of the season without superstar Jack Hughes, top offensive defenseman Dougie Hamilton and key defensive defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler.
The Canucks are fighting for their playoff lives. The club currently sits in the fourth spot (as of Sunday’s games) in the Wild Card chase, three points removed from the final playoff position. Vancouver is in the midst of a six-game road trip with the Devils being the third stop. The Canucks are 6-4-1 in their past 11 games.
Hughes, the reigning Norris winner, leads the Canucks in assists (51) and points (67). The team has three 20-goal scorers in Brock Boeser (23), Jake DeBrusk (23) and Pius Suter (20). The club has turned to Kevin Lankinen in goal, who set a career high with 46 games played and 24 wins.
The Canucks lost Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander on Saturday against the NY Rangers. Pettersson left in the second period while Hoglander missed the third period. Their status is unknown.
WHO’S HOT
Devils: Nico Hischier has a six-game scoring streak with four goals and seven points in that stretch.
Canucks: Brock Boeser has a three-game scoring streak for six total points. He has five goals and an assist in that stretch.
INJURIES
Devils: J.Hughes (shoulder, LTIR), Siegenthaler (undisclosed, LTIR), Hamilton (undisclosed, week-to-week), Palat (undisclosed)
Canucks: Hoglander (undisclosed), E.Pettersson (undisclosed), Chytil (concussion), Demko (lower-body, IR), Juulsen (groin)
REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS
GAME NOTES
