Devils Calm the Critics in Convincing 4-1 Win Over Canucks

Published: Saturday, October 10, 2026

by Ryan Nelke

NEWARK, N.J. - “1-0, them,” has become a very infamous saying among Devils fans the past few years, and it rang true yet again today, but not for long.

 

Despite falling behind early, the New Jersey Devils (2-2-0) put together a much better showing than their prior two, as they defeated the Vancouver Canucks (2-4-0) 4-1 Saturday afternoon, getting back to .500 on the season.

 

Entering today’s afternoon contest, the urgency for New Jersey to figure things out was already high, especially after NHL Insider Arthur Staple suggested earlier in the week that Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe could be on a very short leash following their lackluster start.

 

The Devils power play was one of the biggest stories coming into today’s contest, with it being a glaring issue over the first three games, as New Jersey had only converted on one of their 14 opportunities.

 

The response?  Following the fourth consecutive game of the Devils falling behind 1-0, New Jersey looked toward their trusty captain. With Vancouver’s Jonathan Lekkerimäki committing a high sticking minor, Nico Hischier would find the equalizer in the slot beating netminder Leevi Meriläinen. Arseny Gritsyuk and Luke Hughes would be credited with the helpers.

 

This goal was also a milestone for Hischier, as this one brought him up to 200 career goals in his tenure as the Devils captain.

 

However, one would not be able to tell that the power play was an issue in this contest, as Jesper Bratt put his squad up 3-1 on their second man advantage of the day, bringing the Devils to 2/2 on the power play following Hischier’s goal in the first. Bratt’s first of the year would come from the sticks of Hischier and Jack Hughes.

 

Once was nice, twice was a thrill, but three times was simply unbelievable as Hischier would make it 3/3 on the man advantage for New Jersey late in the second, firing the puck into the net from a tough angle, with Bratt and Jack Hughes each picking up their second points of the game.

 

When speaking about the team’s performance on the power play, Keefe was straight to the point.  “Power play needed to have a day, and it did.”

 

To surprise of few, it was not a great start to the game though for the red and black early in the first, as a hooking minor from Anthony Mantha led to the Canucks capitalizing right away as Linus Karlsson sniped one past Jake Allen into the bottom left corner of the net from right outside the circle. Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk would tally the assists.

 

Luckily, the rocky first few minutes did not turn out to be that big of an issue, and after Hischier’s first goal, New Jersey continued to ease the home crowd into their seats, as the Devils would take their first lead with Jesper Boqvist taking advantage of a careless Canucks turnover in their own zone, tapping the deflected shot by Meriläinen. Amadeus Lombardi would register his first assist and point as a Devil.

 

Allen was stellar between the pipes, making numerous grade-A saves. He would finish the day stopping 20/21 shots, holding the Canucks to only one goal. His efforts today were much-needed for New Jersey, following back-to-back games where the Devils allowed 5+ goals.

 

Following the win, New Jersey will remain home as they host the visiting Ottawa Senators on Monday night, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.

 

Ryan Nelke can be reached at ryan.nelke@student.shu.edu 

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