Jack Hughes scored a goal and added an assist to outshine his older brother Quinn as the New Jersey Devils dominated the Vancouver Canucks 7-2 on Monday night.
Nico Daws made 36 saves, and the Devils scored three times in each of the first two periods, forcing the Canucks to pull goaltender Jaroslav Halak after he allowed six goals on 14 shots.
Yegor Sharangovich, Dawson Mercer, Jesper Boqvist, Ryan Graves, Jesper Bratt, and Dougie Hamilton also scored for New Jersey. Nico Hischier contributed two assists, and the Devils posted their third game with seven goals in their last seven outings.
“The team is doing well offensively,” Boqvist said. “We’re winning many battles, strong on pucks, and we’ve scored many goals lately. So it’s a lot of fun, for sure.”
Quinn Hughes, the Canucks’ defenseman, was held off the scoresheet. Vasily Podkolzin and Tanner Pearson scored for Vancouver, which has not beaten the Devils in their last 12 meetings, dating back to November 25, 2014.
“We’ve found a little momentum with the lines we’ve been using, and guys can feed off each other,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “Their goalie had a tough night, and we got a little fortunate on some early goals, but it’s nice to have the table turned our way.”
Daws, a 21-year-old third-round draft pick from 2020, improved to 3-1-0 this season, securing his second consecutive win after a 6-1 victory over the Penguins last Thursday.
“We’re super happy for him,” Boqvist said. “He’s competing hard and wants to stop every puck, so it’s fun to see him doing that in the games as well.”
The Canucks, coming off a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday, have lost three of their last nine games.
“I don’t get the whole back-to-back thing. Why is it tiring?” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “That excuse goes out the window.”
Jack Hughes started the scoring at 9:15 of the first period with his 16th goal of the season, extending his point streak to seven games. Sharangovich doubled the lead at 15:24 with his 13th goal, assisted by Hughes and Mercer. Mercer made it 3-0 on a power play at 17:44.
Despite outshooting the Devils 13-9 in the first period, the Canucks trailed by three goals.
“With how fast they play, we didn’t match it. It’s unacceptable,” Canucks forward Conor Garland said. “We have to play the right way to win. When you’re chasing games, it’s not a recipe for success in the NHL.”
Podkolzin cut the deficit to 3-1 at 1:36 of the second period, but Boqvist quickly restored the three-goal lead. Graves made it 5-1, and Bratt’s team-leading 19th goal chased Halak from the game at 6:19. Thatcher Demko replaced Halak and made 18 saves.
“To not come out as well as we are supposed to come out is shocking to me,” Boudreau said. “The speed they had, they were coming at us pretty good, and we weren’t adjusting to it.”
Pearson narrowed the gap to 6-2 with his 11th goal at 8:14. Canucks leading scorer J.T. Miller, who assisted on Pearson’s goal, extended his point streak to six games.
Hamilton added his eighth goal at 11:42 of the third period, his first since December 29, after returning from a 17-game absence due to a broken jaw.
Game notes
The Devils have not lost to the Canucks at home since October 24, 2013. The teams will meet again on March 15 in Vancouver. This game marked the 4,000th regular-season game in Canucks history. The Devils are 6-12-2 against Western Conference teams. New Jersey scratched defensemen Ty Smith, Mason Geertsen, and Christian Jaros. Vancouver scratched Madison Bowey and forwards Jason Dickinson and Phillip Di Giuseppe.
UP NEXT
- Canucks: Visit the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
- Devils: Travel to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
