Our Canucks vs. Devils prediction starts with a lopsided market. The Vancouver Canucks visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon, and New Jersey sits at -285 on the moneyline. The Devils lay -1.5 on the puck line at -108, with the total set at 6.5. That price belongs to a 1-2-0 team that has scored six goals in three games. Vancouver arrives 2-3-0 after a 7-2 loss in Carolina, with 21 goals in five games and the worst penalty kill in the league. The goaltending question comes first, and two picks follow.
Last Updated: October 10, 2026
Vancouver Canucks vs. New Jersey Devils — Game Info
| Where | Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey |
| When | October 10 – 3:30 PM ET |
| TV | MSG Sportsnet; Sportsnet in Canada |
Vancouver Canucks vs. New Jersey Devils Betting Preview
Goaltending frames this game, and neither net is settled. Vancouver claimed Leevi Merilainen off waivers from the Ottawa Senators on September 25. He has been the one steady piece of a leaky start. Merilainen has allowed three goals across one start and two relief appearances, a .941 save percentage. Kevin Lankinen has been the opposite. He has started four games and allowed 22 goals on a .796 save percentage. Vancouver pulled him in the third period of Thursday’s 7-2 loss at Carolina. Together the pair sit at .837. Thatcher Demko is still out after hip surgery and is not expected back before December.
New Jersey has its own version of the problem. Jake Allen is 1-1-0 with a .875 save percentage and a 3.47 goals-against average. The Devils traded Jacob Markstrom to Florida in the offseason, and the league’s own season preview called goaltending the team’s biggest challenge. Nico Daws has not changed that read in his one appearance.
The records are modest on both sides. Vancouver is 2-3-0 with four points, sixth in the Pacific Division. New Jersey is 1-2-0 with two points, seventh in the Metropolitan. However, the two teams have arrived there very differently. The Canucks have scored 21 goals in five games and allowed 25, so their games have averaged more than nine goals. The Devils have scored six goals in three games and allowed 13. They have also conceded the opening goal in all three.
Elias Pettersson leads Vancouver with eight points, six of them assists. Paul Cotter has four goals, tied for fourth in the league. Filip Hronek is logging 25:28 a night. For New Jersey, Luke Evangelista leads the team with two goals and three points since arriving from Nashville. The Anthony Mantha, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt line has controlled 65.2% of shot attempts and 66% of expected goals. That is a tiny sample, but it is a loud one. Connor Brown, Johnathan Kovacevic and Nick Bjugstad are out, while Jonas Siegenthaler practiced Friday and could return.
Vancouver Canucks vs. New Jersey Devils Odds
| Puck Line | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canucks | +1.5 (-112) | +235 | O 6.5 (+100) |
| Devils | -1.5 (-108) | -285 | U 6.5 (-120) |
Odds accurate as of October 10, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NHL Odds – Futures – Props
Canucks vs. Devils Prediction — The League’s Worst Penalty Kill Lands in Newark
Start with what the market is asking. New Jersey’s moneyline implies a 74.0% chance of winning the game. The Devils’ side of the puck line implies they win by two or more goals 51.9% of the time. Put those together and roughly seven of every ten New Jersey wins have to arrive by multiple goals. That is a steep demand for a team averaging two goals a game.
The scoring case against the Devils is specific. They are 1-for-14 on the power play, 28th in the league, and they have led for barely a moment all season. Their only win needed overtime. Vancouver, in contrast, has scored 21 goals in five games, and that offense has not leaned on one line. Pettersson, Cotter, Hronek and Marco Rossi have all produced. A team scoring four a game is hard to beat by two, even on a poor night.
The market has nudged the same way. New Jersey opened at -290 and now sits at -285, while Vancouver has moved from +240 to +235. The feed shows 90% of moneyline tickets on the Devils. A favorite shortening against that ticket count is reverse line movement, which is the most useful single market signal there is. Still, this is a small move. Treat it as confirmation of the read rather than a reason on its own.
The case for New Jersey is real. Vancouver’s penalty kill sits at 57.89%, dead last in the league, and it has surrendered eight power-play goals in five games. The Canucks have taken at least three minors in every game and average 4.37 penalties per 60 minutes. New Jersey’s power play finished third in the NHL over the final 20 games last season at 29.8%. The drought should end at some point. The schedule adds to it. Vancouver is on the front half of a back-to-back, two days removed from a seven-goal beating, in the second game of a six-game trip. The read also leans on Merilainen drawing the start, which is projected and not yet confirmed. Lankinen in net would change the picture.
The Pick: Canucks +1.5 Puck Line (-112)
Canucks vs. Devils Prediction — A Familiar Face Walks Back Into Prudential Center
Paul Cotter spent two seasons in New Jersey after Vegas traded him there in 2024. He signed with Vancouver in free agency over the summer, and Saturday brings him back to Prudential Center. He has said he is looking forward to the return, joking about having to win faceoffs against Nico Hischier.
The form behind the storyline is the real reason to care. Cotter has four goals and six points in five games, which ties him for fourth in the league in goals. The NHL named him the third star of the week ending October 4. He opened the season with two goals in his Vancouver debut, including his first career shorthanded goal and an overtime winner. He now skates on the second line with Brock Boeser and Marco Rossi.
The price has not caught up. Six Vancouver skaters are listed shorter than the team’s leading goal scorer in the anytime goalscorer market. The market is discounting the start, and it has a reason to. Cotter has 51 goals in 300 career NHL games, a rate nowhere near his current pace. Five games is a tiny sample, and a hot stretch from a career third-line scorer is exactly the kind of number that fails to repeat. The counterweight is the opponent. New Jersey has allowed 13 goals in three games and its penalty kill sits at 62.50%. Its goaltending has stopped .875 of what it has faced.
The Pick: Paul Cotter Anytime Goalscorer (+500)
Our Final Word on Canucks vs. Devils
Both picks rest on the same underlying read, and that is worth saying plainly rather than presenting them as independent angles. Vancouver scores and New Jersey has not. If the Devils’ power play wakes up against the league’s worst penalty kill, both get harder at the same time. The other shared input is the Canucks’ net. A Merilainen start supports both reads. A Lankinen start weakens them, so this view stays provisional until the lineup is confirmed. Vancouver also closes the weekend in New York against the Rangers on Sunday, so rest management is in play.
Vancouver on the puck line at -112 is the stronger play, since the Devils’ own prices demand two-goal wins from a two-goal offense. Paul Cotter at +500 is the secondary look, a former Devil tied for fourth in NHL goals yet priced behind six teammates.
NHL Canucks vs. Devils FAQ: October 10, 2026
What time does the Canucks vs. Devils game start?
The Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils drop the puck at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 10, 2026. That is 12:30 p.m. PT for Vancouver viewers. It is an afternoon start rather than the usual evening slot, and it opens a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back for the Canucks.
What channel is the Canucks vs. Devils game on?
MSG Sportsnet carries the game for New Jersey viewers in the United States. Sportsnet holds the Canadian broadcast. Local blackout and regional availability rules apply, so the exact channel number depends on your provider and where you are watching from.
Where are the Canucks and Devils playing?
The game is at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the Devils’ home building. Vancouver is in the second game of a six-game road trip that opened in Raleigh on Thursday. Paul Cotter returns there after two seasons with New Jersey.
Where do the Canucks and Devils stand in the standings?
Vancouver is 2-3-0 with four points, sixth in the Pacific Division. New Jersey is 1-2-0 with two points, seventh in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams enter on two-game losing streaks, and neither has played more than five games so far this season.
Who won the last meeting between the Canucks and Devils?
New Jersey won the most recent meeting 5-4 in Vancouver on January 23, 2026. Cody Glass scored twice and added an assist for the Devils in that game. The two clubs split their two meetings during the 2025-26 regular season.