Hischier plays hero as Devils blank Canucks

VANCOUVER — Nico Hischier scored and had a pair of assists Wednesday as the New Jersey Devils blanked the Vancouver Canucks 6-0.

Dawson Mercer and Jack Hughes each had a goal and an assist for the Devils (7-4-2), while Timo Meir, Ondrej Palat and Tomas Tatar contributed a goal apiece.

Jacob Markstrom's 20 saves produced his first shutout as a Devil and 21st of his career.

Vancouver's starter Arturs Silovs stopped 17 of 23 shots in his first game since Oct. 15.

A five-game point streak for the Canucks (4-2-3) ended with the loss.

The few remaining fans inside Rogers Arena at the end of the game booed as the final seconds of the game ticked away.

TAKEAWAYS

Canucks: Defending off the rush proved to be a problem for Vancouver, with four of New Jersey's goals coming in transition. The fifth tally was a backdoor tap in from Hughes on a third-period power play.

Devils: Hischier is on a heater to start the season. New Jersey's captain leads the league with 10 goals and has scored in four straight games.

KEY MOMENT

A power play turned sour for the Canucks early in the second period when the home side coughed up the puck and Mercer and Hischier sprinted down the ice on a two-on-one. Silovs make a solid pad stop on Hischier's shot, but the rebound bounced out to Mercer, who popped the puck up and in to give New Jersey a 2-0 lead at 1:35.

KEY STAT

Vancouver's power play continued to struggle, going 0 for 4 on the night and surrendering a short-handed goal. The Canucks were 3-for-25 with a man advantage over their last eight games.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Devils: Battle the Flames in Calgary on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.