For the first time, all three Hughes brothers will be on the ice together in an NHL game.
Tuesday night will be the battle of the siblings as Quinn Hughes takes on his younger brothers, Jack and Luke, with the New Jersey Devils (11-10-1) in town. While the Vancouver Canucks (16-8-1) do have the all-time record advantage, the Devils have won 14 of the last 15 matchups, with Vancouver's only victory coming last year at home. A game that should feature plenty of offensive chances at both ends of the ice, the Canucks need to ensure they play strong defensively; otherwise, New Jersey could be walking out of Rogers Arena once again with two points.
While the Hughes brothers will be the main focus of the evening, this game will be the perfect test for Vancouver's struggling penalty kill. The Devils enter the game with the league's best power play at 36%, while the Canucks penalty kill sits 22nd with a kill rate of 75%. Shutting down New Jersey's power play will not be easy, but if successful, it would be a massive confidence boost for a group that has allowed goals in six of their past seven games.
Vancouver's power play has also been an area of concern over the past few weeks. They have three goals in the last eight games, with two of them coming in the same game against San Jose. With a new look second unit featuring Nils Höglander and Linus Karlsson, the Canucks need to find a way to get their power play not just back on track but producing consistently for the rest of the season.
Players to Watch
Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes
Regardless of the final score, it will be a fun night as fans will get their first look at all three Hughes brothers on the ice for the first time. While Vancouver is the favourite, you know the Devils will come out flying as they try to win this one for Jack and Luke. Expect big performances from all three, as the winner or winners will have bragging rights until the two teams meet again in early January.
Projected Lines
Kuzmenko-Miller-Boeser
Mikheyev-Pettersson-Lafferty
Joshua-Blueger-Garland
Höglander-Åman-Karlsson
Hughes-Hronek
Cole-Juulsen
Zadorov-Myers
Demko
DeSmith
Game Information
Start Time: 7:00 pm PT
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650