NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist to win a showdown with his older brother, and the New Jersey Devils routed the Vancouver Canucks 7-2 on Monday night.
Nico Daws made 36 saves and the Devils scored three times in each of the first two periods, chasing goaltender Jaroslav Halak with six goals on 14 shots.
Yegor Sharangovich, Dawson Mercer, Jesper Boqvist, Ryan Graves, Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton also scored for the Devils, who put up seven goals for the third time in seven games. Nico Hischier had two assists.
“The team is doing well offensively,” Boqvist said. ”We’re winning a lot of battles, strong on pucks, and we’ve scored a lot of goals lately. So it’s a lot of fun, for sure.”
Quinn Hughes, a defenseman for the Canucks, was held off the scoresheet. Vasily Podkolzin and Tanner Pearson scored for Vancouver.
The Devils have a 12-game winning streak against Vancouver. The last time they lost to the Canucks was Nov. 25, 2014.
“We’ve found a little momentum with the lines we’ve been using and guys can feed off each other,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. ”Their goalie had a little bit of a tough night. We got a little fortunate on some of the early goals, but it’s nice to have the table turned our way.”
The 21-year-old Daws, a third-round draft pick by the Devils in 2020, improved to 3-1-0 this season and won his second straight. He also beat the Penguins 6-1 last Thursday.
“We’re super happy for him,” Boqvist said. “He’s competing hard and wants to stop every puck, so it’s fun to see him doing that in the games as well, too.”
The Canucks, who beat the New York Rangers 5-2 on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, lost for the third time in nine games.
“I don’t get the whole back-to-back thing, why it’s tiring,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “That excuse goes out the window.”
The Devils opened the scoring at 9:15 of the first when Jack Hughes fired a wrist shot past Halak for his 16th goal this season. The 20-year-old Hughes, the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, has a seven-game point streak.
It was also his fourth straight multipoint game. The only active players to have longer runs at age 20 or younger are Patrik Laine (five games in 2017-18) and Steven Stamkos (five games in 2009-10).
“He’s got himself in a nice little run. Really, really skating well,” Ruff said of Hughes, who has five goals and eight assists in his last seven games. “He just continues to grow. There’s plays inside the game that really only he can make. Some of the stuff that he does, is because he’s so explosive.”
Sharangovich made it 2-0 at 15:24 with his 13th of the season, with assists to Hughes and Mercer. Sharangovich extended his point streak to seven games (five goals, six assists).
“The first line is playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Ruff said. ”They like playing with each other. They’ve been able to find each other, and inside, Sharangovich has been able to find the hole, and they’ve been really good at low triangle to get guys in a good position to create inside opportunities.”
Mercer made it 3-0 on the power play with his 13th at 17:44.
The Canucks outshot the Devils 13-9 in the first period but left the ice down three.
“With how fast they play, we didn’t match it at all. It’s unacceptable,″ Canucks forward Conor Garland said. ”We have to play the right way to win. When you’re chasing games, it’s not a recipe for success in the NHL.”
Podkolzin broke through for Vancouver at 1:36 of the second when he deflected a shot from Travis Hamonic past Daws for his ninth goal.
Boqvist answered at 3:08 to restore the three-goal lead for the Devils. The goal was his fifth of the season.
Graves made is 5-1 at 5:07 before Bratt scored again for New Jersey at 6:19. Bratt’s team-best 19th goal ended Halak’s night as Thatcher Demko replaced the 36-year-old netminder, who headed straight to the dressing room.
Demko made 18 saves in relief.
“To not come out as well as we are supposed to come out is shocking to me,″ Boudreau said. “The speed they had, they were coming at us pretty good, and we weren’t adjusting to it.”
Bratt, who also assisted on Mercer’s goal, leads the Devils with 50 points.
Pearson narrowed the deficit to 6-2 with his 11th goal at 8:14. Pearson has nine points, including five goals, in his last 12 games.
Canucks leading scorer J.T. Miller assisted on Pearson’s goal. Miller has a six-game point streak and has five goals and 11 assists in his last nine games.
Hamilton completed the scoring for the Devils with his eighth goal at 11:42 of the third. It was Hamilton’s first goal since Dec. 29. He was playing his third game after missing 17 with a broken jaw.
NOTES: The Devils haven’t lost to the Canucks at home since Oct. 24, 2013, in a shootout. The teams meet again March 15 in Vancouver. … It was the 4,000th regular-season game in Canucks history, dating to their first season in 1970-71. … The Devils are 6-12-2 against Western Conference teams. … The Devils scratched defensemen Ty Smith, Mason Geertsen and Christian Jaros. … The Canucks scratched Madison Bowey and forwards Jason Dickinson and Phillip Di Giuseppe.
UP NEXT
Canucks: At the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Devils: At the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
