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 Vancouver Canucks have called up center Aatu Räty under emergency conditions ahead of their game on Monday against the New Jersey Devils. The call-up was required as both center Elias Pettersson and Nils Höglander left Saturday's game against the New York Rangers with injuries.