Jack Hughes Shows He’s Driving Force For New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils ended a six-game losing streak on Wednesday when they held on for a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are still one of the worst teams in the league despite playing better before the extended Christmas break. However, the Devils are there as well, so we have to celebrate the wins when we get them. The Devils need to keep the momentum going, and it starts with wins like these.

Jack Hughes just put the team on his back and led the Devils to victory. He had an assist on both of the Devils goals in the first period, and then he scored the go-ahead goal in the third period after beating Rasmus Dahlin for the puck. Hughes showed he was able to beat players with as much talent to the puck and score.

Hughes was amazing on Wednesday night. He was a part of every big play outside of the fourth goal of the game. He was on the ice for 24 chances and the other team only had 10 chances at 5v5. Hughes was very good offensively, and he wasn’t on the ice for a goal against.

There is an interesting stat that stands out for Hughes. He only took four faceoffs at even strength. The other 16 shifts started on the fly according to Natural Stat Trick. Lindy Ruff was trying to play to Hughes’ strengths. He knows faceoffs aren’t his forte, but Ruff still got him on the ice for just under 18 minutes. There was no other forward on the team who played more time on the ice.

Hughes was dominant against the Buffalo Sabres. He needs to do that more often to get the New Jersey Devils back into any semblance of competitiveness. Can Hughes do this against better teams than the Sabres? That’s what he has to prove. He can do that on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers.