The Olympians representing Team USA men’s hockey are having the time of their lives since Jack Hughes scored the Golden Goal on Sunday morning. Ignoring some of the controversies around the politics of the moment, the Hughes brothers, Tkachuk brothers, Connor Hellebuyck, and the rest of Team USA have been traveling in their celebration. They landed in Miami on Monday to take center stage at the nightclub E11even before heading to Washington, D.C. to visit the White House and go to the State of the Union address.
One thing is for sure: Hughes has been busy. Another thing is sure: Hughes cannot let a celebration impact his availability for a regular-season New Jersey Devils game with the season on the line. The Devils are in a desperate position, sitting 11 points out of a playoff spot with very little time to make up the deficit.
Hughes took more media pressure than anyone when his commitment to the Devils was questioned going into the Olympics. Multiple analysts and even some fans wondered why Hughes missed the final three games before the Olympic break. Hughes suffered a lower-body injury and didn’t return until Game 1 of Team USA’s journey to a gold medal.
It's fine that Jack Hughes is celebrating his gold medal win how he wants as long as he makes it back in time for the New Jersey Devils
That narrative has all but gone away after Hughes’s big performance in Milan, but with negative headlines surrounding Hughes (most of which seem unnecessary or calculated), he needs to come back and be about business. He secured one of his lifelong goals. His next goal needs to be winning a Stanley Cup with his other brother with the New Jersey Devils.
That starts on Wednesday. Beating the Buffalo Sabres could be important to the final standings. Every two points for the Devils is two points closer to a playoff spot. We have no idea how everything will shake out. The Pittsburgh Penguins might be without Sidney Crosby. The New York Islanders might come out of the gates slow since Ilya Sorokin hasn’t played in three weeks.
Hughes should be playing every night he’s not injured. Traveling too much after the Olympics would be a terrible excuse, but all reports point to Hughes playing as expected. Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com says the expectation is he will suit up on Wednesday night. Tuesday’s practice lineup appears to hold a spot for Hughes, as well.