New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes Injury Makes Win Bittersweet

The New Jersey Devils won their game against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. It was a 4-2 final score as they were able to hold off Seattle in their first-ever visit to the Prudential Center. It was a game that featured many different moments that were both sweet and bitter. There are going to be forks in the road all season long but a 2-0-0 start is nice.

First, the sweet. Dawson Mercer opened the scoring for the Devils with his first career NHL goal. Ryan Graves and Tomas Tatar made a sweet play to find Mercer who did not miss with his shot. He collected his first assist in game one and followed it up with his first goal in this game against the Kraken. He was awarded the first star of the game as a result.

Speaking of Graves, he was incredible as well. He has been one of New Jersey’s best players in the first two games. He collected two assists in this game to bring his total to three on the season. He isn’t known for being an offensive guy but he has done well on both sides of the puck so far. If he keeps this up, the Devils will have a very solid defensive unit as a result.

Jimmy Vesey opted to sign with the New York Rangers when he entered the NHL after many thought he would choose New Jersey. Well, his career has come full circle and he is now with the Devils. Vesey is also now on the board as he scored his first goal with the Devils and it ended up being the game-winner.

It was a huge game for a lot of different skaters. However, we can also praise Jonathan Bernier because he was amazing in the net. Mackenzie Blackwood is dealing with recovery from a heel injury so Bernier has been needed so far and he has shown up.

It wasn’t all good for the New Jersey Devils in Tuesday night’s win over Seattle.

If he can keep this up, it will be nice to have two very good goalies available when Blackwood is healthy. That has been an issue for a few years now as things have been bad when Blackwood was getting some rest on the bench. Now, having both in the mix should help them stop many more pucks.

Of course, there is the bitter. Jack Hughes left the game with what looked like a shoulder injury after a big hit from Jeremy Lauzon. He did not return and there has been no update yet. It didn’t look good but we can only hope that it won’t last long. He had a very nice assist in this game before his injury and that is his third point in only the second game.

Hughes appears to be taking that next step. The Devils might be in trouble if they are without him for an extended period of time. We will know more soon enough but it was definitely a bittersweet win for the home team.