Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled then offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.

The New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks will square off Monday night in a battle of the Hughes brothers. While the absence of dynamic center Jack Hughes certainly takes some life out of the matchup, my Canucks vs. Devils predictions still see the two defensemen making their mark in what could be a higher-scoring game than the market expects.

The New Jersey Devils are starting to flirt with peril. For most of the season, it looked like the Devils were a shoo-in to make the playoffs, but they’re now just six points above the cutline and another couple of losses could put them on the brink.