The Vancouver Canucks continue their road trip on Saturday afternoon with a 12:30 p.m. PT matchup against the New Jersey Devils.
Saturday will be the first game of another back-to-back weekend for the Canucks, who will be in New York to face the Rangers on Sunday.
Elias Pettersson picked up two points Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. He now has eight points (2g-6a) in the first five games of the season.
Paul Cotter (4g-2a-6p) and Filip Hronek (0g-5a-5p) are also performing at least a point-per-game clip through the opening handful of games this season. Hronek leads the team in ice time, averaging 25:28 per game.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Devils are well rested as they come into Saturday’s game. They have not played since Tuesday, when they suffered a 5-3 loss to the Utah Mammoth.
- Saturday begins three games in four nights for the Devils, who are playing on Monday and Tuesday.
- Jake Allen has started two of the first three games this season. He has a 1-1-0 record with an .875% save percentage and a 3.47 goals-against average.
- Luke Evangelista leads the Devils in goals (2) and points (3) through their first few games of the season. He scored 12 goals and added 44 assists for 56 points in 81 games with the Nashville Predators last season. Evangelista was traded to the Devils in early September for a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick before signing a five-year extension.
- Luke Hughes is leading the Devils in ice time, he is averaging 24:04 per game.
- The Devils’ top line consists of Anthony Mantha, Jack Hughes, and Jesper Bratt. That trio has been strong through three games, controlling 65.2% of the Corsi, 69.2% of the shot share, and 66% of the expected goals.
The Story: Now Throwing Away Thursday’s Game
After a tough loss on Thursday, many teams will ‘flush a game like that’ or just forget about it and move on. That is not how Jake DeBrusk felt when he spoke to the media after the game against the Hurricanes.
“I think you let this one sink in. I think this is obviously the Stanley Cup champions. They play a really tight game, and that’s what’s expected if you want to win this league. They win their battles, they make their plays, things that we’re striving to be,” said DeBrusk.
“It’s kind of easy to say to reset, but I think we sit with this one and use it in the upcoming road swing because obviously we need to be a lot better, especially in front of our goaltenders.”
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Elias Pettersson: 2g-6a-8p
Paul Cotter: 4g-2a-6p
Filip Hronek: 0g-5a-5p
Marco Rossi: 3g-1a-4p
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: 2g-2a-4p
When and Where to Watch
Saturday’s game starts at 12:30 p.m. PT, and you can watch on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on KISS West Coast.
