The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (25-36-9) vs. the Vancouver Canucks (29-32-9) The Time: 10:00 PM EST The Broadcast: TV - MSG+ The final game of the Canada roadtrip is tonight, as the Devils head to Vancouver looking to beat a struggling Canucks team It’s Kenny: Very quietly, Kenny Agostino has played well for the Devils after being picked up off waivers. In 16 games, he has 3 goals and 5 assists, which would equate to a 41 point season with around 15 goals. On a team void of forward talent, Agostino has stepped up, as he currently holds a three game point streak. He’s playing for a contract next season, which I think he deserves a shot at. He’s been better than, let’s say, Blake Pietila, Kurtis Gabriel or even Joey Anderson offensively as of now, and if he can keep this up he’s worth a look. Other Devils to Watch: A three game point streak for Travis Zajac, including 2 goals in a row and 3 in five games. Very quietly, Zajac has a chance to record his first 20 goal season since the 09’-10’ season, where he was on a line with Zach Parise. Zajac and Greene are the remaining pieces of old Devils teams, but unlike Greene, Zajac is not declining. After failing to score in 15 games in a row, including all of February, Blake Coleman has now recorded three games in a row with a goal. In a season where most others have not developed as needed, Blake Coleman has taken a step forwards to become a forward for the Devils. While his play is likely more suited for a 2nd-3rd line forward, he is an essential piece for this Devils team that has needed a pleasant surprise. While I’m not a fan of his defense, Damon’s Severson only continues to improve by the year. Aside from a year where he slumped as a sophomore, his goal numbers have only continued to improve by the year, hitting 11 as of now this year. With every point he sets a new career high in points, though it remains to be seen if his offensive mindset is causing his struggles defensively. Lastly, a player who doesn’t light up the scoresheet but continues to play his game effectively is Kevin Rooney. His offensive ceiling is likely very low, though Ken Daneyko has mentioned that Rooney looks like a player who can become a regular for this Devils team next season. He is a very defensively responsible player where others Devils may not be, and is looking for a spot on the 4th line next season. Will he become a regular? Personally, I wouldn’t mind. There are worse options (cough.. Kurtis Gabriel). Vancouver Woes: The Canucks, in their last 10, sit at an ugly 3-5-2. In recent years, they seem to be a team stuck deciding whether to go for the playoffs or tank the season. They have plenty of young talent, with rookie and Calder favorite Elias Petterson sitting at a point per game rate along with 26 goals. 23 year old Bo Horvat and 22 year old Brock Boeser have also played well, with Boeser recording 48 points in 57 games (23 goals) and Horvat setting a new career high in goals with 24 while also recording 26 assists. Aside from them... there isn’t much else. Antoine Roussel is next in terms of points, though he only has 31 points and 9 goals. After that, Jake Virtanen and Nikolay Goldobin both hold some promise, but both have less than 30 points. Meanwhile, the extremely disappointing Loui Eriksson has only 10 goals and 21 points on the year, getting scratched as a result of his poor play. Alex Edler, the man who wants to be a career Canuck, is playing well this season with 7 goals and 23 assists in 44 games, including a +3 rating. Meanwhile, they further added via subtraction by getting rid of the defensively poor Erik Gudbranson. Jay Beagle has predictably struggled, with his four year contract only providing 3 goals and 6 assists. While this team is very average, it always feels like the team is too far away to truly compete against teams like the Maple Leafs, Lightning and Flames. Jakob Markstrom is the Canucks workhorse starter, and he’s been rather average this season. He is 25-20-8 on the season, with a .913 save percentage. I’d expect him to start. Predicted Lines: I’d expect Blackwood to start for the Devils. His save percentage dropped heavily after being left to die by his defense, and now sits at .919. For the Canucks, I expect it to be Thatcher Demko starting. With a weak Devils offense, Demko can be given an opportunity to increase his confidence. On the year, he is 1-2-0 with a .895 save percentage. I’d expect the rest of the Devils lineup to look similar to the Oilers game: Coleman - Zajac - Palmieri Agostino - Rooney - Stafford Tangradi - McLeod - Anderson Noesen - Pietila - Gabriel Greene - Severson Butcher - Carrick White - Santini Meanwhile, I’d guess the Canucks look like this Roussel - Horvat - Pearson Leivo - Pettersson - Boeser Goldobin - Gaudette - Virtanen Granlund - Beagle - Motte Edler - Tanev Brisebois - Stetcher Pouliot - Biega Your Thoughts: Who will win? Who will score? Do you want the Devils to win? Let me know in the comments below, and take care.<doc-sep>Mackenzie Blackwood, Colton White, Blake Coleman, Travis Zajac and the New Jersey Devils will end a three-game swing through Western Canada when they play Elias Pettersson and the Vancouver Canucks at 10 p.m. Eastern on Friday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Aside from Blackwood entering the lineup for Cory Schneider, the only other change the Devils will make will be adding Eric Tangradi in place of forward John Quenneville. Forwards Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Taylor Hall, Pavel Zacha, Miles Wood, plus defensemen Sami Vatanen, Mirco Mueller and Egor Yakovlev, will also miss the game with injuries. Join NJ.com’s live chat in the comment section. Here is everything you need to know about the game: What: New Jersey Devils (26-36-9) vs. Vancouver Canucks (29-32-9) When: 100 p.m. EST, Friday, March 15, 2019 Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada TV: MSG+ Live stream: MSGgo.com Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.<doc-sep>Welcome to the final game in Canada for Our Favorite Team. May this road trip mercifully end soon. The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the Vancouver Canucks (SBN Blog: Nucks Misconduct) The Time: 10:00 PM ET The Broadcast: TV - MSG+; Digital Audio - The “Devils Hockey Network.” A.K.A. Go to Radio.com or NHL.com for an audio feed. The Song for the Evening: Paul Gilbert is all about the guitar-work. His album Out of My Yard is a great example of it. And this song’s title is appropriate for where the team is right now. It all comes together somehow. The Rules: The rules remain the rules even though you’re marveled by the solos and fret-work. Please keep your comments clean, legal (read: no streams, no links to streams, no asking for streams, no streams), and all about the games itself. Just as importantly, let’s respect each other. There’s no need for drama or being unwelcoming of your fellow Devils fan. This is a Gamethread, let’s focus on the game.Thank you for reading. Go Devils!<doc-sep>VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks’ game began Wednesday with people talking about $36-million man Loui Eriksson getting scratched from the lineup, and when it was over the discussion was about Antoine Roussel and Quinn Hughes being injured. And Hughes hasn’t even played a National Hockey League game! Yes, once again, these are the Canucks. A 4-1 win over the New York Rangers – just Vancouver’s second regulation victory in 18 games – was quickly dimmed by post-game news from Canucks coach Travis Green that Roussel suffered a season-ending knee injury during the incident-filled second period, and that uber-prospect Hughes arrived from the University of Michigan with a foot injured more seriously than thought. “He’s got a pretty good bone bruise, so he’s in a walking boot for a week and then we’ll re-evaluate him next week,” Green told reporters of Hughes, the 19-year-old dynamo on defence who signed with the Canucks after the end of his college season on the weekend. Hughes blocked a shot in Friday’s playoff loss against the University of Minnesota, then played the next night in Michigan’s elimination game. Asked if Wednesday’s MRI revealed conclusively that Hughes has only a bone bruise and not a fracture, which could end his NHL season literally before it begins, Green said: “That’s my understanding, yeah. It didn’t just happen a day or two ago but I’m not a doctor. It’s disappointing for sure. I’d like to have seen him in sooner and he still might play. We’ll see how he is next week.” As we know, things can always be worse. The Canucks, whose season has been undermined by two avalanches of injuries that led to long losing skids, looked like they’d also lost Calder Trophy favourite Elias Pettersson Wednesday. The Canucks rookie was injured in the second period when elbowed in the face by Ranger Chris Kreider, who was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct at 4:23. Pettersson, who missed six games with a concussion in October after being slammed to the ice by Florida defenceman Mike Matheson, went directly to the medical room under the NHL’s concussion protocol. But the 20-year-old returned to the bench late in the second period. By then, Roussel had also left the game and, it turned out, the season. A controversial free-agent acquisition when the Canucks signed him to a four-year, $12-million contract on July 1, Roussel delivered on expectations and became one of Green’s most dependable players. The 29-year-old had a career-best 31 points in 65 games when he was hammered by Ranger Brendan Lemieux – yes, Claude’s son – at 9:45 of the second period. The major and game misconduct Lemieux was assessed for a check to the head on Roussel was a lot more debatable than Kreider’s penalty. But it was Roussel’s knee that buckled under him on the hit in front of the Rangers’ net. “He loves to win and competes hard,” Green said. “His engine runs hot all the time. Coaches like players whose compete level is high every day. Even in practice, he works and works. I think young guys should really look at that because, man, when you watch the good hockey teams, they play that way. Even if they’re skilled, they’re working and they’re competing and they’re playing to win all the time. Rouse does that.” So does Pettersson, who missed the 10 minutes of power-play time the Canucks used to help build a 3-0 lead after a scoreless first period between two non-playoff teams that felt like a pre-season game. “I saw (Kreider) was coming, so I jumped away and he lifted, I don’t know, his arm or elbow,” Pettersson said. “Intentional? I don’t know, but I don’t think he’s a dirty player. I started bleeding from my nose. . . but my head was feeling fine all the time. But of course, there’s protocol that you have to do if they suspect it’s a concussion.” Stream Canucks hockey on Sportsnet NOW Sportsnet NOW gives you access to over 500 NHL games this season, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey, Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey, the entire 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. Having missed Pettersson with his body on the forecheck, Kreider spun and threw his right elbow backwards, striking the Canuck on the nose. Pettersson may not think Kreider’s a dirty player, but his flying elbow was no more “accidental” than the his notorious crease cannonball that injured Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price in the playoffs four years ago. “Two hits to the head on two of our key guys,” Vancouver defenceman Chris Tanev said after his first game since missing 11 with a sprained ankle. “We got one goal on the power play. It would have been nice to get two or three more, but overall it was a good win. “When Petey came by the bench, he seemed fine. Just hit him in the nose and riled him up a little bit. The Rouse one looked a little more scary.” With Pettersson out and Roussel still playing, the long-dormant Canucks power play actually made it 1-0 at 6:07 of the middle period when some rare, quick puck movement left Brock Boeser with an open shot that he buried over Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist’s catching glove. Fourth-liner Tyler Motte then scored twice in 11 seconds for Vancouver, converting Alex Edler’s breakaway stretch pass at 9:34 before blasting a slapshot past Lundqvist on the next shift after Lemieux had dropped the hammer on Roussel. Ranger Pavel Buchnevich and Canuck Jake Virtanen, in an empty net, traded third-period goals. With Roussel’s injury, at least there is a path back to the lineup for Eriksson, who has been paid about $22 million of his front-loaded contract but given the Canucks just 31 goals in 184 games over nearly three seasons. Until Wednesday, however, he had not been a healthy scratch in Vancouver. “We’ve got a lot of guys playing for contracts and for jobs next year,” Motte said.<doc-sep>
Mackenzie Blackwood will return to goal when the Devils finish the Western Canada portion of their road trip with a game against the Vancouver Canucks at 10 p.m. Eastern on Friday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Blackwood allowed a career-high nine goals in Tuesday’s 9-4 loss to the Calgary Flames, including six in the third period. Eric Tangradi will enter the lineup again for the Devils, while John Quenneville will be scratched. Forward Miles Wood participated in Friday’s morning skate, but he will remain out while recovering from a right ankle fracture. Here’s how the Devils are projected to line up against the Canucks: FORWARDS Blake Coleman - Travis Zajac - Stefan Noesen Kenny Agostino - Kevin Rooney - Kyle Palmieri Drew Stafford - Blake Pietila - Joey Anderson Eric Tangradi - Michael McLeod - Kurtis Gabriel DEFENSEMEN Andy Greene - Damon Severson Will Butcher - Connor Carrick Colton White - Steven Santini GOALIES Starter: Mackenzie Blackwood Backup: Cory Schneider SCRATCHES Forwards: Nico Hischier (upper body, day-to-day); Jesper Bratt (lower body, week-to-week); Nathan Bastian (upper body); Miles Wood (broken ankle, practicing); Pavel Zacha (upper body, practicing, no contact); John Quenneville (healthy); Nick Lappin (healthy) Defensemen: Mirco Mueller (shoulder); Sami Vatanen (upper body); Egor Yakovlev (upper body injury) On IR: Taylor Hall (knee surgery) Canucks stats Record: 29-32-9 (67 points) Last game: W 4-1 vs. Rangers on Wednesday The Canucks are well outside of playoff position, like the Devils. The Devils, however, have won eight straight games agianst the Canucks, including the past three meetings in Vancouver. Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.