The Canucks sit three points out of a playoff spot but have one game in hand on the St. Louis Blues, who are hanging on to the final wild card spot in the Western Conference following five consecutive wins.
New Jersey is led by its top line of Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Stefan Noesen. That trio has combined for 69 goals this season, and they have offensive punch throughout their top-six. Second-line winger Jesper Bratt leads the Devils with 81 points through 71 games.
Former Canucks netminder Jacob Markstrom has been strong between the pipes this season and holds a 22-14-5 record with a .901% save percentage, 2.49 goals-against average, and three shutouts.
Quick Hits on the Competition
- The Devils are 17-13-4 on home ice this season and are 8-3-2 when they score first at the Prudential Center.
- They have the fourth-ranked power play in the league and are clicking at 27.2% this season.
- Hischier leads his team with 13 power play goals this season, while Bratt has 27 power play assists.
- Luke Hughes has taken over as the quarterback on the first power play unit and is joined by Hischier, Bratt, Meier, and Dawson Mercer.
- New Jersey is one of the best second-period teams in the league. Through 71 games, they have outscored their opposition 81-55.
- Brett Pesce leads the Devils with an average ice time of 21:10. The 30-year-old defenceman has three goals and 11 assists through 62 games played and is one of the best defensive defencemen in the league.
The Story: Quinn Hughes, Fastest Player in the NHL
In the Canucks’ game on Saturday morning, Hughes was clocked skating at 24.56 mph, which is the fastest skating speed we have seen on NHL Edge since Denis Gurianov hit 24.6 mph during the 2021-22 season.
Hughes is on a six-game point streak since returning from injury and has averaged 27:52 of ice time over those six games. He has controlled 58.4% of the shot share and 62.5% of the on-ice scoring chances over the past six games.
Canucks’ Top Performers over the Last Five Games
Brock Boeser: 5g-1a-6p
Quinn Hughes: 2g-4a-6p
Elias Pettersson: 1g-5a-6p
Nils Höglander: 1g-4a-5p
Pius Suter: 3g-1a-4p
When and Where to Watch
Monday’s game is a 4:30 p.m. PT start, and you can watch it on Amazon Prime or listen along to the radio call with Brendan Batchelor on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.
