Winnipeg (48-19-4) is first in the Western Conference and can clinch a playoff berth Tuesday with one point against the Washington Capitals (8 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN3, MNMT) or if the St. Louis Blues lose to the Montreal Canadiens in any fashion (8 p.m. ET; Matrix-MW, Victory+, TSN2, RDS).

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.