Face-off: 2200 ET, 15/03/2022
Arena: Rogers Arena
Vancouver will be fired up and looking to avenge last month’s 7-2 thrashing in New Jersey when these teams meet again at Rogers Arena.
That blip came during a 6-1-0 hot streak for the Canucks and when they were trying to back-up a 5-2 win at New York Rangers, so we’re expecting a different outcome in Canada, especially with the Devils noted as poor travellers.
Admittedly, New Jersey have won 12 straight head-to-head encounters, dating back to 2014, but Vancouver should be determined to end that hoodoo.
Punters can get 2.0 for a home win in regular time and that spearheads our Vancouver Canucks vs New Jersey Devils predictions.
Win up to $100 in cash with our Free to Play NHL predictions promotion!
Vancouver Canucks Odds
Vancouver’s quest to reach the playoffs suffered a minor setback when they were edged out 2-1 here by Tampa Bay on Sunday, but there was no disgrace in that defeat.
JT Miller gave the Canucks hope of a fightback in the third period but Andrei Vasilevskiy kept them at bay, ending up with 35 saves.
“We tried, we played really hard in the last two periods,” declared head coach Bruce Boudreau.
“Sometimes, you’re playing a world-class goalie, arguably the best goalie in the world.
“We had some really great chances, but we couldn’t get it by him. We got one, but he was the one who was the difference maker for their team.”
Key centre Elias Pettersson being doubtful again with an upper-body injury is a concern, but the likes of Miller, Quinn Hughes, Conor Garland, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat are all in good nick.
Examining the NHL odds for this match, we like 3.4 for a home win in regular time and both teams to score at least twice.
New Jersey Devils Odds
New Jersey probably need a miracle to make the post-season but that hasn’t stopped them from putting in maximum effort of late.
The Devils went 3-1-0 through a four-match homestand following Saturday’s 2-1 shootout triumph over Anaheim.
Nico Daws made 33 saves and then kept out all of the Ducks’ penalties, while Tomas Tatar netted in regular time and the tiebreaker.
“I think we’re becoming more and more mature as a team as the season is going,” declared Tatar.
“We know how to play tighter now. We’re hard to play against. We don’t give up that many opportunities on either side, so it’s great to see.
“I’m looking forward to the next games. It’s very much fun to play right now.”
One area New Jersey are stronger in is making fast starts, as they are eighth in the table for first-period goals with 59, whereas Vancouver are 30th on just 40.
That makes 3.1 for the Devils to lead after 20 minutes worth a saver in our NHL predictions.
Overall, though, New Jersey’s 8-18-2 record on the road makes them worth opposing over the full match.
Additional stats
Last result:
VANCOUVER 1-2 Tampa Bay
NEW JERSEY 2-1 Anaheim (OT)
Season head-to-head: New Jersey 7-2 Vancouver
