Vancouver Canucks vs. New Jersey Devils: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/6/2023

by Chuck Sommers

Monday, Feb 06, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
Where to watch: MSGSN, SNP, SNO

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Devils -245, Canucks +205
FanDuel: Devils -260, Canucks +210
BetMGM: Devils -250, Canucks +200
Caesars: Devils -263, Canucks +210

Season record
Canucks: 20-26-3
Devils: 32-13-4

The All-Star break is over, the second half of the NHL season can officially begin, and we're bound for what should be a very exciting second half of the hockey season. Basketball and hockey are about to rule the roost in the sports betting world once the Super Bowl is done with, and we should all be very excited for what's to come. When the trade deadline hits and players switch teams, you know things are about to get hectic over these final 30 games or so. One way you can stay tuned with the action is following what our champion handicappers are doing in the world of the NHL. Look at ASA, Inc., reeling in a $6,750 profit off a 17-9-0 run. Al McMordie is also doing well on the ice with a 13-5-0 run and a net profit of $6,050. Scott Rickenbach has also been hanging strong with a lot of betting action, in what's been an unusual year, with a 24-18-0 run and reeling in $5,950. You know this action is going to be great now that games are back and a busy second half if on the horizon. All you need to do is head to our BEST BETS page at bigal.com to find out all of what we're trying to tell you. Make sure you're locked in at bigal.com and go to our Best Bets page to find out what our champion handicappers have to say in the world of the NHL!

Canucks - Devils preview, prediction and analysis


Recent results
Canucks: won 5-2 vs. Blue Jackets
Devils: won 3-2 (OT) at Stars

The Vancouver Canucks will be playing the New Jersey Devils on Monday, February 6 in Newark, New Jersey.

The Vancouver Canucks won against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, January 27 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver with a score of 5-2. The Vancouver Canucks currently rank 6th in the Pacific Division.

Elias Pettersson scored twice, and Bo Horvat had an NHL career-high four assists for the Vancouver Canucks.

"Everyone was burying their chances for me," Horvat said. "I'm not the type of guy, especially in recent years, to be dishing the puck like that but it definitely feels good to see them go in when I do."

Quinn Hughes had a goal and an assist, Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller each had two assists, and Collin Delia made 24 saves for the Canucks (20-26-3), who bounced back from a 6-1 loss at the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.

Vancouver has won two of three games since Rick Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach on Sunday. It was the Canucks' last game before their bye week; they return Feb. 6 at the New Jersey Devils.

"I liked the resiliency and in the NHL you have to be a resilient team," Tocchet said. "We had a stinker in Seattle, and we came back and put in a good game plan. I thought the coaches did a great job. We met with some players that we thought didn't play well in Seattle, and they came back strong with some good efforts."

The Canucks announced after the game that forward Ilya Mikheyev, who scored in the first period, is being shut down for the remainder of the season and will have surgery to repair a torn ACL in his knee sustained during a Sept. 25 preseason game.

Mikheyev wore a brace to continue playing and had 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 46 games this season.

"It was a real challenge, but we worked with [the] medical staff and [tried to] find some way [so] I can play much better like with this knee, [but] now it's time [to have surgery]," Mikheyev said.

Pettersson gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead 1:25 into the first period, scoring short-handed after Columbus forward Patrik Laine's pass bounced past Blue Jackets defenseman Adam Boqvist at the blue line. Horvat then swept it across to Pettersson for a quick deke to the forehand after winning a race to the puck at the other end.

"No one was happy [with] the way we played in Seattle, so we wanted to bounce back and come out with a good effort," Pettersson said. "And I think we did. Obviously, some parts of the game we can work on, but overall I think it was good."

The Vancouver Canucks have won three of their last 10 games.

The New Jersey Devils won against the Dallas Stars on Friday, January 27 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas with a score of 3-2 in overtime. The New Jersey Devils currently rank 2nd in the Metropolitan Division.

Jack Hughes scored his second goal of the game 20 seconds into overtime to give the Devils the win.

Vitek Vanecek made 33 saves for his ninth straight victory for the Devils (32-13-4), who won 6-4 at the Nashville Predators on Thursday and are 8-1-1 in the past 10 games. It was New Jersey's last game before its bye week.

"Big saves when you need them," New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson said. "Years past, that hasn't been the case and, unfortunately, that's buried us in games. This year, it's been a key to our success, our goaltending. We look forward to those guys (Vanecek, Mackenzie Blackwood) even getting better for us and keeping those pucks out of the net and making those key saves when we need them."

The Stars made the first two goals of the game.

"Once we got past the penalties in the first period, which kind of took some of our better players out of play, I thought we got on top of them," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "We frustrated them. Got some big saves when we needed them. But to come back from being down 2-0, we found a way to tie it up and win it in overtime."

Hughes slipped the puck five-hole on a breakaway to cut it to 2-1 at 1:05 of the second period.

"The first period was really tough, they scored two goals," Vanecek said. "We came back in the second period. I knew it was going to be hard, back to back, we fly two hours. I knew I had to step it up one period, and it was the second one, and I did. I'm so happy for it."

Miles Wood tied it 2-2 at 3:55 on a shot from the high slot, his first goal since Dec. 13 (20 games).

The New Jersey Devils have won eight of their last 10 games.

Prediction

It's the first game for the Canucks without Bo Horvat, which is going to make this very odd. Coaching change, no more captain, things are going to be bleak in Vancouver for a while. Devils 4, Canucks 1

Betting trends


Canucks are 5-16 in non-conference games this season.

Canucks are 9-16 revenging a loss as a favorite this season.

Devils are 14-5 in non-conference games this season.

Devils are 12-3 off a road win this season.

Projected lines


Canucks:

Ilya Mikheyev -- TBD -- Brock Boeser

Phillip Di Giuseppe -- Elias Pettersson -- Andrei Kuzmenko

Dakota Joshua -- J.T. Miller -- Conor Garland

Sheldon Dries -- Curtis Lazar -- Jack Studnicka

Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Luke Schenn

Quinn Hughes -- Ethan Bear

Riley Stillman -- Tyler Myers

Spencer Martin

Devils:

Ondrej Palat -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt

Yegor Sharangovich -- Jack Hughes -- Fabian Zetterlund

Tomas Tatar -- Erik Haula -- Dawson Mercer

Miles Wood -- Michael McLeod -- Nathan Bastian

Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton

Ryan Graves -- Damon Severson

Nikita Okhotiuk -- Brendan Smith

Vitek Vanecek

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Vancouver Canucks - New Jersey Devils prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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