The New Jersey Devils have been on fire out of the Christmas break. They’ve won four out of their last five games after going into the break with a six-game losing streak. There is a lot going right for the Devils. The offense seems to be picking it up. The penalty kill is back on track, and the power play is actually proving to have the ability to score. Still, all that is well and good, but nothing is as important as the ascension of Jack Hughes.
Hughes had a rough stretch going into the break, looking like he needed more time to recover from his shoulder injury. He had 5 goals and 2 assists in 13 games going into the break. 7 points in 13 games could be worse, especially when it comes with 5 goals, but the Devils expected a little more from Hughes this season. Since the end of the break, Hughes has 12 points in 5 games. Now, this is more like it.
Hughes had another 3-point night against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Hughes was the best player on the ice, and that’s what the Devils need constantly. Nico Hischier also had a good game, and Mackenzie Blackwood bounced back from a horrid night against Boston to have one of his best games of the season. It was still the Jack Hughes Show in primetime.
The Devils put Jesper Bratt with Hughes a few games ago, and they have magic together. It’s unfortunate that Yegor Sharangovich is out of the lineup because it would be good for him to get the rub from these two, but Tomas Tatar has done well in his return to the lineup to take his place. It will be hard to put Sharangovich on this line after how these three have been playing together over the last two games.
The Devils are desperately hanging onto hope for this season. Boston is starting to surge as they look to take control of the second Wild Card spot. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the best team in hockey right now, making that first Wild Card spot out of reach for everyone. The Devils should focus on one thing at a time. They are two wins away from hockey .500. If they keep playing like this, it will be hard to stop them.
The Devils needed someone to be a superstar. The game calls for superstars to run the league, and the Devils were waiting for development before getting one. Now, they have Hughes dominating on a nightly basis. Maybe he needed the Christmas break to truly heal that shoulder. Whatever it was, Hughes is on another trajectory now. His expectations are changing, and if he doesn’t finish the season with at least a point per game, it will be a disappointment. That’s how it happens for superstars, and Jack Hughes is now a superstar.