Vancouver Canucks will be heading down to the Prudential Center on Monday to take on the New Jersey Devils

The Canucks are sixth in the Pacific Division (24-22-6, 54 points), while the Devils are last in the Metropolitan Division (17-28-5, 39 points). This will be the first of two games between these franchises this season, so this could be an entertaining matchup. 

With the play of people like center J.T. Miller, goalie Thatcher Demko, left winger Jesper Bratt, and goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, this should be a great matchup.

Center of the Game

One of the stars for Vancouver is center J.T. Miller as he is tied for 15th in hockey with both points and assists as he has recorded 53 points (18 goals, 35 assists) with seven points in his previous four games. This Canucks team is not known for its offensive ability as they are averaging just 2.63 goals on 32.1 shot attempts per game this season.

Vancouver’s 19.5 power play percentage is right at the middle of the league, so they need to be able to find the back of the net more if they want to step up here. 

This season, Vancouver has been a decent defensive team as they are giving up 2.79 goals on 31.5 shot attempts thus far. Goaltender Thatcher Demko has been playing decently this season as he is 21-16-2 with 2.66 goals allowed with a .916 save percentage so far. The Canucks are not defending well, as their 69.9 penalty kill percentage is the lowest in the NHL this season. 

Devilish Ways

New Jersey has been doing decently well on the offensive side of the ice as they are averaging 2.90 goals on 31.5 shot attempts per game. A big reason why has been the production of left winger Jesper Bratt, who has recorded 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists).

They are currently 24th in the sport with a 17.2 power play percentage and need to continue playing well offensively to pull off a home win.

Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood has to step up a bit more as he is currently 9-9-3 with a save percentage of .894 and 3.29 goals allowed per game.

As a team, though, they are allowing 3.56 goals on 30.7 shots per game, so they need to defend a bit better. One big thing that they do well defensively is penalty killing, as they are seventh in the league at 83.5 percent. 

Who to Bet: Canucks or Devils?

These teams are both doing well, but there is a slight difference thus far this season. The difference seems to be the offensive output as the Canucks are scoring 4.7 goals in their previous three games while the Devils are averaging four goals in their last five games.

New Jersey is 23-27 against the spread this year, while Vancouver is 29-23 against the spread. Go with Vancouver on the road to cover the puck line as they are the better team in this match and should win by a couple of goals.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.