The Vancouver Canucks head to Newark for a Saturday afternoon tilt against the New Jersey Devils, but the matchup carries an added layer of family intrigue beyond the standings.
The roster of players to have suited up for both the Devils and the Canucks is a fun list, even without speculating whether Quinn Hughes might one day make the switch to Newark himself.
Names like Greg Adams, Kirk McLean, Brendan Morrison, Alex Mogilny, Patrik Sundstrom, Jacob Markstrom, Ron Delorme and Don Lever populate that history. Now there is Paul Cotter, who has enjoyed as enjoyable a start to his Canucks tenure as anyone could hope for.
“These guys know I’m going to be coming for all of them,” Cotter told the team website this week. “I think they expect that. They know that I’m a competitor, so I’ll be gunning for all of them, but it’ll be exciting.”
New Jersey made the playoffs last season but appears to have lost its way slightly. They present a stout test for the Canucks, even if they have been outscored 2-1 through their three games this season.
The Buzz
New Jersey has lost two straight after a season-opening overtime win against Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers. The Canucks, as usual, struggled recently, losing 7-2 in Carolina on Thursday after dropping Sunday at home to Vegas. Someone is shaking off a two-game losing streak.
The History
The two teams split last season’s series, each winning in the opposition’s building: the Canucks won 2-1 in December in New Jersey and the Devils won 5-4 in Vancouver in January.
The Hope
The Devils are off to a rough start themselves this season, with just six goals scored through three games. They have also started slowly in games, but at least in the big picture the Canucks have been scoring in bunches. The slow-starting Devils might be just the ticket for Vancouver, who want to get better in their first-period play.
The Fear
As Filip Hronek said on Thursday, the Canucks must not lose faith in their abilities as they battle to build up their defensive structure. If they lose their focus this early, it will be a long season.
The Top Guns
Elias Pettersson wasn’t super noticeable in Thursday’s drubbing but he still picked up two assists, giving him eight points on the season. It took him 10 games last year to reach eight points. Jake DeBrusk got his first two goals of the season on Thursday. Brock Boeser is pointless in three games. Meanwhile the Devils are led in scoring by new acquisition Luke Evangelista, who has two goals and an assist in three games.
The Wounded
Canucks: Thatcher Demko (hip surgery recovery, IR); Filip Chytil (shoulder, IR).
Devils: Jonas Siegenthaler (undisclosed, day-to-day); Connor Brown (lower-body, day-to-day); Seamus Casey (knee, IR); Jonathan Kovacevic (knee, IR); Nick Bjugstad (pectoral muscle tear, IR).
The Quote
“We can’t have guys that are just going to go away in these situations. It shows what type of character we have when we show the ability to push back and play our game despite the score.” — Manny Malhotra after Thursday’s game.
The Projected Lineup
Forwards: DeBrusk-Pettersson-Lekkerimäki; Cotter-Rossi-Boeser; Öhgren-Sasson-Karlsson; Bains-Raty-O’Connor
Defence: Buium-Hronek; Oleksiak-Willander; Pettersson-Schenn
Goalie: Merilainen
By Patrick Johnston
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