Canucks Face Devils in October 10 Road Matchup

Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils meet at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, October 10, 2026, with both teams seeking to end two-game losing streaks. Vancouver enters the matchup at 2-3-0 after a 7-2 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes, while New Jersey is 1-2-0 following a 5-3 loss to the Utah Mammoth.

According to The Hockey News and CanucksArmy, the early-season contest presents Vancouver with an opportunity to respond after defensive and special-teams problems undermined its previous performance. New Jersey, meanwhile, is looking for its first regulation victory of the season after winning its opener in overtime before dropping two consecutive games.

Vancouver conceded three power-play goals and one shorthanded goal against Carolina, according to CanucksArmy. The team's penalty kill has operated at 57.9 percent, the lowest rate in the league at this stage of the season, while its power play has converted 17.6 percent of its opportunities and surrendered three shorthanded goals, The Hockey News reported.

The Canucks also face a demanding weekend schedule, with a Sunday game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Because Vancouver did not practice Friday and had no scheduled morning skate before Saturday's early start, its starting goaltender remained uncertain in the pregame reports.

Leevi Meriläinen replaced Kevin Lankinen for the third period against Carolina after Vancouver fell behind. CanucksArmy reported that Meriläinen had allowed three goals on 51 shots across his first three appearances, recording a 1.63 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. The report identified him as a possible starter against New Jersey.

Jake DeBrusk scored both Vancouver goals against Carolina, recording his first two goals of the season. Elias Pettersson assisted on both goals, extending his season-opening point streak to five games and reaching eight points, according to CanucksArmy. Pettersson led the Canucks in scoring, while Paul Cotter had six points through the team's first five games, according to The Hockey News.

Vancouver's projected lineup remained subject to change, with Brendan Gallagher and Luke Schenn among the players who could return after being scratched against Carolina. Thatcher Demko remained sidelined with a hip injury, while Filip Chytil was unavailable with a shoulder injury. The team's lineup decisions also had to account for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

New Jersey's offense has also struggled. According to CanucksArmy, the Devils had scored six goals through their first three games and converted just one of 14 power-play opportunities. Luke Evangelista led the team with two goals and an assist, including two goals in the loss to Utah.

Jack Hughes had one goal and one assist through three games, while Nico Hischier had yet to record a point. Jesper Bratt had two assists without scoring, according to CanucksArmy. Goaltender Jake Allen was expected to appear in his 500th NHL game, having recorded a career mark of 226-202-45 with 29 shutouts, a 2.76 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

The Devils were also dealing with several injuries. Connor Brown was ruled out and was skating individually before a planned reevaluation the following week, according to NHL.com. Nick Bjugstad and Johnathan Kovacevic were also listed among New Jersey's injured players, while Jonas Siegenthaler practiced Friday and could return after sustaining an undisclosed injury against Utah.

Vancouver and New Jersey split their two meetings during the previous season, with each team winning on the road. The Canucks claimed a 2-1 victory in New Jersey in December, while the Devils won 5-4 in Vancouver in January, according to CanucksArmy and The Province.

Vancouver coach Manny Malhotra stressed the importance of maintaining competitiveness after the loss to Carolina. The Province reported his response following Thursday's defeat.

"We can't have guys that are just going to go away in these situations. It shows what type of character we have when we show the ability to push back and play our game despite the score." Malhotra said.

Paul Cotter, who previously played two seasons with New Jersey, also discussed facing his former teammates. The forward scored a career-high 16 goals with the Devils in 2024-25 before joining Vancouver, according to CanucksArmy.

"These guys know I'm going to be coming for all of them," Cotter said. "I think they expect that. They know that I'm a competitor, so I'll be gunning for all of them, but it'll be exciting."