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NEWARK – The Vancouver Canucks (19-18-4) start the second half of their National Hockey League schedule as they play for the final time in 2018 when they face the New Jersey Devils (14-16-7) in an early New Year’s Eve start at Prudential Center.

The Canucks have won both of their games since Christmas following up a 4-2 win in Edmonton with a 3-2 overtime victory in Calgary on Saturday night. Alex Edler scored the winner at the Saddledome 3:06 into OT. Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson also scored for the Canucks, while Jacob Markstrom made 31 saves to record his eighth win in his last nine starts. The Swedish netminder has a 1.66 GAA and 94.3 per cent save percentage in the month of December. 

Markstrom has allowed 12 goals in his past eight games and has not surrendered more than two in a game since a 5-3 win over Nashville to begin his month on December 6th.

Boeser and Pettersson have each scored in back to back games and Boeser now has eight goals in his past 10. Alex Edler is leaving his mark at both ends of the ice these days. The veteran defenceman has 2+6=8 in his last 10 and has logged 25 minutes or more in five of his last six games. Edler’s overtime winner on Saturday gives the Canucks 16 goals from defensemen at the midway mark of their 2018-19 schedule. In 82 games last season, the team got 21 goals from its blue line. 

The Canucks are not expected to make any line-up changes to the skaters they used on Saturday. That group included Sven Baertschi and Troy Stecher back in action after missing time with concussions. With a day of cross-continent travel yesterday and the early puck drop, it’s possible Anders Nilsson will get the call in goal.

With their latest win, the Canucks are now 8-2-1 in their past 11 games and 9-5-2 in their past 16 outings. As they close out 2018, the Canucks have recorded a record of 34-40-10 in 84 games played since January 1st.

The Devils return to action following a 2-0 shutout win over Carolina in a Saturday matinee on home ice. Pavel Zacha second-period short-handed effort was the game’s lone goal until he set up Andy Greene who sealed the victory into an empty net. Mackenzie Blackwood made 37 saves for his first National Hockey League shutout.

The 2015 second-round draft pick has appeared in just five NHL games and Saturday was just his third big-league start. He picked up his first NHL win on Thursday in a 5-2 victory over Boston. Blackwood is getting the opportunity with former Canuck Cory Schneider struggling on and off the ice. He has not won in over a year and now is sidelined with an abdominal injury.

The Canucks won’t have to contend with last season’s Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall who will miss a third straight game with a lower body injury. Despite the injury, Hall leads the Devils in scoring with 11+26=37 while Kyle Palmieri is the top goal-scorer on the team with 19 on the season. Seven of those have come on the power play.

Today’s game features two of the top five players taken in the 2017 NHL Draft. Nico Hischier went first overall and has 10+16=26 in his second season in the league. Hischier, who turns 20 on Friday, had 20+32=52 in his first season a year ago. Pettersson was the fifth selection of the draft and has 19+20=39 in his rookie campaign.

The Devils have won back to back games and three of their last four, however they remain in a tie with Carolina and Philadelphia for last place in the Metropolitan Division. The two straight wins is the first time New Jersey has strung consecutive victories together since November 13th and 15th. While overall the team has struggled this season, the Devils have recorded 10 of their 14 wins at Prudential Center.

These teams will conclude their two-game regular season series in Vancouver on March 15th. The Devils swept the Canucks in their two games last season and have won seven straight head to head meetings.

POSSIBLE CANUCKS LINE-UP 

Eriksson-Horvat-Virtanen
Goldobin-Pettersson-Boeser
Baertschi-Granlund-Leivo
Roussel-Beagle-Motte
 
Edler-Tanev
Hutton-Stecher
Pouliot-Gudbranson
 
Nilsson
 
POSSIBLE DEVILS LINE-UP

Bratt-Hischier-Palmieri
Quenneville-Zajac-Coleman
Wood-Zacha-Noesen
Boyle-Seney-Stafford
 
Greene-Severson
Vatanen-Santini
Butcher-Lovejoy
 
Blackwood