Devils Gameday Preview: Seeking Next Home Win Against Canucks

On Saturday, Oct. 10, the New Jersey Devils are preparing to host the Vancouver Canucks. This game would typically mark the annual “Hughes Bowl” in New Jersey, but now the most exciting part of this game is the return of Paul Cotter.

The Devils are seeking their second win of the season. They beat the Philadelphia Flyers in their home opener but have since dropped their last two games against the New York Islanders on the road and the Utah Mammoth at home. This is another home-ice game, so hopefully the home-ice advantage works out in the Devils’ favor as they look to get back in the win column against the Canucks.

Storylines

On Tuesday, defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler left the Mammoth game early due to an injury. While he wasn’t a participant in practice on Thursday, he was on Friday, which was a good sign for his recovery. He hasn’t been ruled out in the lineup just yet, and there is a good chance he slots back into the Devils’ second defense pairing alongside Dougie Hamilton.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe has also adjusted the top two lines. He has switched the order, now putting Luke Evangelista, Timo Meier, and Nico Hischier in the top slot. This trio has been a major part of the Devils’ offense to start the season, so giving them the most ice time makes sense.

This shifts Anthony Mantha, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt down to the second line. This is by no means a demolition, just a nudge in the right direction to get the team’s offense working to the Devils’ benefit. Keefe has also switched which side Mantha and Bratt play on alongside Hughes. We’ll see if this shift has any bearing on their overall performance against the Canucks.

The player to watch in this game is Evangelista. In his third game with his new team, Evangelista scored two of the Devils’ three goals against Utah, one of which was New Jersey’s first of the season on the power play. He is already finding his scoring touch with his new line partners, Hischier and Meier. Let’s see if he can continue scoring in this game against the Canucks.

Team Stats

New Jersey Devils

Season Record: 1-2-0

Top Scorers:

1. Luke Evangelista – 2 goals (G), 1 assist (A), 3 points (P)
2. Dougie Hamilton – 1 G, 1 A, 2 P
3. Jack Hughes – 1 G, 1 A, 2 P
4. Jesper Bratt – 0 G, 2 A, 2 P
5. Jesper Boqvist – 1 G, 0 A, 1 P

Goalie Stats:

1. Jake Allen – 1-1-0, 3.47 goals-against average (GAA), .875 save percentage (SV%)
2. Nico Daws – 0-1-0, 6.01 GAA, .813 SV%

Vancouver Canucks

Season Record: 2-3-0

Top Scorers:

1. Elias Pettersson – 2 G, 6 A, 8 P
2. Paul Cotter – 4 G, 2 A, 6 P
3. Filip Hronek – 0 G, 5 A, 5 P
4. Marco Rossi – 3 G, 1 A, 4 P
5. Jonathan Lekkerimäki – 2 G, 2 A, 4 P

Goalie Stats:

1. Leevi Meriläinen – 1.63 GAA, .940 SV%
2. Kevin Lankinen – 7.05 GAA, .796 SV%

Team Lineups

(Subject to change before puck drop)

Vancouver Canucks

Jake DeBrusk — Elias Pettersson — Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Paul Cotter — Marco Rossi — Brock Boeser
Liam Ohgren — Max Sasson — Linus Karlsson
Arshdeep Bains — Drew O’Connor — Aatu Raty

Zeev Buium — Filip Hronek
Jamie Oleksiak — Tom Willander
Elias Pettersson — Victor Mancini

Leevi Merilainen
Kevin Lankinen

Scratched: Brendan Gallagher, Guillaume Brisebois

Injured: Thatcher Demko, Filip Chytil

New Jersey Devils

Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Luke Evangelista
Jesper Bratt — Jack Hughes — Anthony Mantha
Arseny Gritsyuk — Evan Rodrigues — Dawson Mercer
Amadeus Lombardi — Cody Glass — Jesper Boqvist

Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegnethaler — Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon — Declan Chisholm

Nico Daws
Jake Allen

Scratched: Remi Poirier

Injured: Connor Brown, Johnathan Kovacevic, Nick Bjugstad

Next Up for the Devils

The Devils will remain at home and host the Ottawa Senators on Monday, Oct. 12. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM ET.