Devils Fall to Canucks in 2-1 Fashion in Sunday Matinee

Published: Sunday, December 14, 2025

by Ryan Fox

NEWARK, N.J. - The New Jersey Devils (18-14-1) entered their second afternoon matchup of the weekend against the Vancouver Canucks (12-17-3) on Sunday after a dominant 4-1 performance against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, but could not prevail this time, falling 2-1.

Both parties entered the matchup severely shorthanded. New Jersey was missing eight starters, while Vancouver was down Elias Pettersson due to an upper body injury and Quinn Hughes, as he was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

Quinn Hughes was projected to play in this matchup that fans have deemed the “Hughes Bowl” but was dealt to Minnesota for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Within the first minute, Vancouver was off to an early powerplay after a slashing call from Dougie Hamilton, where Jake DeBrusk was able to fire one past Devils netminder, Jacob Markström, handing the assists to Buium and Conor Garland.

Less than 5 minutes later, Stefan Noesen was called for boarding, sending the Canucks to their second power play of the afternoon. After some scramble from New Jersey, Brenden Dillon mistakenly tapped the puck in his own net after it bounced awkwardly off his stick. The goal was credited to Buium, with the assists going to Conor Garland and Thatcher Demko. 

Nearing the end of the first, New Jersey failed to capitalize on a 5-on-3 man advantage. The first period of play ended with Vancouver leading by two, with New Jersey awaiting their spot on the scoreboard.

The Devils were amped up in the second period of play, as just four minutes in, Luke Hughes was able to snipe one past Demko, giving a pair of assists to Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer. The second period was a bit quieter, with zero penalties taken during the 20 minute duration, and only one goal being scored.

However, it was evident the Devils were playing faster and harder, as they looked for the opportunity to tie things up. In the second, New Jersey had 13 shots on goal, putting them in the lead in terms of SOG at 18-14. New Jersey would continue to look for the chance to tie the hockey game up in the final period.

The final period of play picked up with some early action after Vancouver's Tyler Myers was sent to the box after an interference call within the first two minutes of the period. New Jersey sent out their power play unit for the third time of the afternoon, unable to score on the chance. 

The Devils offense was desperate for a game-tying goal, as they put up six shots within the first 10 minutes of the final period. Similarly, New Jersey’s defensive units limited all of Vancouver’s attempts, rendering them shotless through the first 10 minutes of the period, gaining only one SOG the entire period.

By the time the final horn rang out, New Jersey was unable to pick up the much-needed goal, despite several grade-A chances in the final minutes.

Devils Head Coach, Sheldon Keefe, responded to a question in Saturday’s post-game press conference regarding his team's defense, where he touched on “an increase in defensive effort.” With that being said, Devils defenseman, Luke Hughes was the only goal scorer for today’s faceoff. 

Keefe, when asked about Hughes' development, responded, “He was a primary driver for us both offensively, not just getting the goal.” Luke Hughes had a total of 27:01 ice time this afternoon, his most in 16 games.

Following the loss to Vancouver, New Jersey will now head out west as they look to bounce back this Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena with a 10:00 p.m. puck drop.

Ryan Fox can be reached at ryan.fox@student.shu.edu.

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