Yegor Sharangovich and Jack Hughes both notched a goal and an assist, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night.
Nico Hischier, Michael McLeod, and Dawson Mercer also found the net for the Devils (7-3-0), who are enjoying their first four-game winning streak since October 2018.
Bo Horvat scored twice on power plays for the Canucks (2-6-2), with J.T. Miller assisting on both goals.
Devils’ goalie Mackenzie Blackwood made 21 saves, improving his career record against Vancouver to a perfect 5-0-0.
“I think we’ve been doing a good job of capitalizing on our chances lately and really limiting what the other team is getting on our end,” Blackwood said. “Tonight, we did a good job of burying our chances.”
Jesper Bratt assisted on Hischier’s fifth goal, extending his season-opening point streak to 10 games (four goals, 12 assists), tying a franchise record.
“I think (Bratt’s) playing a team game, and he’s getting rewarded,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “He’s taking advantage of the opportunities and finding a way to get on the board every night.”
Thatcher Demko stopped 32 of 36 shots for Vancouver, snapping a two-game win streak for the Canucks, who lost their first seven games of the season.
“We need our veteran guys and our better players to be consistent every day, not just one good game here and one good game there,” Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “That goes for the defensemen, the forwards, and the goaltending.”
Boudreau pulled Demko with less than two minutes left, and Hughes scored into the empty net.
Vancouver made a late push, pulling Demko for an extra attacker after New Jersey’s Ryan Graves was called for holding with 3:34 left. The move paid off when Horvat buried his second of the night with a one-timer from the high hash marks at 17:12, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
“Obviously, the puck’s going in right now, but I’d rather be getting wins than scoring goals,” Horvat said. “I’d rather have none and be 9-0-0. But it’s not the way it’s going right now. We’ve got to put this one behind us and keep plugging away.”
NEW FACES
Canucks defenseman Ethan Bear and center Jack Studnicka made their debuts for Vancouver after being acquired in trades last week. Star defenseman Quinn Hughes returned to the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury.
NEW THREADS
The Canucks debuted their new navy blue “Johnny Canuck” reverse retro jerseys, which pay homage to the team’s namesake—a lumberjack-looking character that served as the team’s logo when it joined the Western Hockey League in 1945.
UP NEXT
- New Jersey: At the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.
- Vancouver: Hosts the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
