The Vancouver Canucks edged the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on December 14, 2025, at Prudential Center, with newcomer Zeev Buium recording a goal and an assist in his debut. Both Canucks goals came on the power play, while Luke Hughes scored the lone Devils goal. The win improves Vancouver to 12-17-3, following the recent trade of Quinn Hughes.
The Vancouver Canucks secured a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This marked the first matchup of the season between the teams, coming shortly after Vancouver traded defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Friday for prospects Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round pick. Buium, Rossi, and Ohgren all made their Canucks debuts in the game.
Just 43 seconds into the first period, Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton was penalized for hooking, leading to a power-play goal by Jake DeBrusk at 1:01. DeBrusk scored on a rebound after a sequence involving Buium and Conor Garland. Five minutes later, Stefan Noesen was called for boarding Ohgren, and Buium extended the lead to 2-0 at 6:48 with a shot from the faceoff circle that deflected off Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon into the net. Garland earned his second assist of the game on the play.
In the second period, the Devils responded early when Dawson Mercer passed to Jesper Bratt, who set up Luke Hughes for a wrist shot from the high slot at 4:02, cutting the deficit to 2-1. New Jersey outshot Vancouver 8-1 in the third period and held a 26-15 advantage overall but couldn't tie the game. Thatcher Demko made 25 saves for the Canucks, including all eight shots in the third, while Jacob Markstrom stopped 13 for the Devils.
Vancouver's power play went 2-for-3, a bright spot after recent struggles. "I think it all clicked pretty easily," Buium said of his debut. Devils coach Sheldon Keefe called the loss "disappointing," noting a slow start: "When you wait, you lose." Luke Hughes described it as "aggravating," adding, "We had a lot of zone time but couldn't convert it into goals."
The Devils, playing the second game of a back-to-back after a 4-1 win over Anaheim on Saturday, fell to 18-14-1 and are now 1-4-0 in such situations. Their penalty kill, already ranked 31st at 66.7% since October 26, went 1-for-3. Vancouver snapped a 1-5-1 skid in their last seven games. The teams will meet again on January 23 in Vancouver.
