"It is what it is. It's part of sports. Obviously, I made a couple of mistakes tonight and I got to be better. It is what it is. "Luke Hughes, Devils defenseman
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes got headlines on Sunday night for all the wrong reasons. First, he made a colossal mistake just a few minutes into the game. When trying to clear the puck away from the blue paint in front of Jake Allen, he actually hit the puck in the one place where it could have gone in the net. It was a very rough start.
The Devils eventually tied the game at one on a Dawson Mercer goal, but Hughes made another mistake in the second period that the Devils couldn’t overcome.
have a night Luke Hughes 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6bSrnoqZPa
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) January 5, 2026
This is obviously a disastrous night for Luke Hughes. He admitted that he didn’t play well while the rest of the guys around him did. The Devils had a chance to put themselves within three points of the Carolina Hurricanes, but they failed. Now, the Devils find themselves seven points away from Carolina at the top of the Metropolitan Division.
Hughes was a big reason for that, but he was far from the only reason. The Devils went 0/6 on the power play, including ending the game with about 90 seconds of 6on4. The Devils have to figure out why their PP is so bad against this team, going back to last season. They have an incredible penalty kill, one that ranked at the top of the league last season, but this is getting ridiculous.
Also ridiculous is the fact that Devils fans booed Luke Hughes. Boo the team. Chant about front office members. Demand better of your team, but singling out a player every time he touches the puck is amateur-level stuff.
Hughes said that the booing “is what it is,” but fans should be better than that. We’re booing Hughes when he has the puck on the power play? Let’s boo when we’re not trying to score a goal in a one-goal game.
"I've had fans boo me, which, listen, I don't think (Luke Hughes) deserved. He's a kid who made two mistakes in a hockey game. Whoever doesn't make mistakes, I'd love to meet them... I just want to pat him on the back and get back to it on Tuesday here. "Jake Allen, Devils goalie
Nobody is trying to argue that Hughes is having a great season. Head coach Sheldon Keefe puts him in a position to showcase his skills, and it hasn't worked out this season. Yet, Keefe continues to give Luke Hughes big minutes. There's clearly a confidence there.
Keefe mentioned everything that happened during the game during the postgame press conference. He was pretty direct with his thoughts.
"I don't want to see any of our players have to go through something like that as far as the fan reaction. That's a young player having a tough couple of players there. He can learn from them and get better from them."Sheldon Keefe, Devils head coach
Keefe mentioned that Hughes knows how to play under pressure. He helped them win a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets a few games ago with a late third-period goal. There's always going to be good and bad with Hughes.
Keefe said he didn't think about benching Hughes because these were "innocent mistakes," and he thought a player could take "weeks" to get back on their game if they are benched in that situation. While we don't necessarily agree, it's interesting to get an idea of what Sheldon Keefe was thinking in the moment.
We do want to commend Luke Hughes for addressing the media in this situation. There are plenty of players who would put others out there to address questions and just wait until the next practice to talk to the media when more guys are available. The Devils usually only make three players available after games, and this time they opened the floor for four. One was captain Nico Hischier, who went out of his way to send his support to the youngest Hughes brother.
As for what comes next for Luke Hughes?
"Next shift mentality. Just gotta get back to my game and try to make good plays."Luke Hughes, Devils defenseman
Simple. That probably helps the Devils to keep this all simple. Hopefully, these mistakes, and the booing, are left off the table for games moving forward.