The New Jersey Devils finally got their first win of the season and Jack Hughes recorded his first NHL point to help them to their first victory.
The New Jersey Devils finally did it. After two weeks of trouble, they finally got their win. They came close a few different times but they finally got the elusive win and can go about their season. They are in a little bit of a hole after the slow start but they now showed they can play a full game and do what they need to do to get the win. They beat their bitter rivals in the New York Rangers by a final score of 5-2.
It was very good to see the Devils get the win but it was even better to see their first overall pick Jack Hughes record his first NHL point. He deflected a Matt Tennyson shot that hit Miles Wood in the rear end and it went into the net. It was a big moment for Hughes as he is now on the board in the National Hockey League. He has it out of the way and now can focus on playing his game. He still needs to score his first NHL goal but nobody can say he isn’t on the board anymore. He looks better and better every game and has the making of a star.
Hughes played most of the night on the top line with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri because Nico Hischier was out with injury. He looked like he fit in on that line and he was forced to see the oppositions best defensive matchups. If Jack continues to develop at this pace he will be an elite player in no time. He was generating chances left and right in the previous games and he finally got his first assist in this one.
So Hughes’ line once Nico Hischier comes back remains to be seen but there is no doubt he plays well with Taylor Hall who is one of the best offensive players in the National Hockey League. The team also benefited from the fact that P.K. Subban, Travis Zajac, and MacKenzie Blackwood all had really good games themselves. It was a solid team game, and when they gave up a second goal early in the third to make it a one-goal game, instead of panicking and letting them tie it, they scored to extend the lead to two. They bent, but didn’t break.
It is important that they carry this momentum into their game on Saturday afternoon against the Vancouver Canucks. It will be the first time Hughes faces his brother Quinn Hughes in an NHL game. It will certainly be a special game for both brothers and you can expect them both to have monster games.