It’s all about Jack Hughes.
The New Jersey Devils (10-5-2) came back in a thrilling overtime win on Saturday night over the New York Islanders and are looking to close out a back-to-back with a victory over the San Jose Sharks (4-9-2) on Sunday night in Newark.
Hughes led his team to a gritty comeback on Long Island. The Devils were trailing 3-1 and scored two goals in the final five minutes to tie the game and eventually secure the two points with Hughes’ breakaway goal.
The Devils are riding a three-game win streak for the first time since December last season. Looking to continue their winning streak against a struggling Sharks team, the Devils will look to generate offensive pressure and play with the chemistry and cohesiveness they have been searching for all season and seem to have found.
The holy trinity leads the Devils in points: Jesper Bratt, Hughes, and captain Nico Hischier. Bratt has seven points in his last five games, recently netting two goals in the win over Montreal for 19 points thus far. Not far behind him is Hughes, who seemed to jump back into his superstar role. He has six points and three goals in the last two games and tallied 18 points on the season. Hischier has 16 points and is tied for second in good company with ten goals.
Likely to get the nod in net is Jake Allen, who is currently coming off a shutout victory over Edmonton and boasts a .904 save percentage. Devils fans know the Sharks’ goalie tandem well, as the familiar faces of Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood stand between the pipes for San Jose.
The Sharks have been struggling at the start of the new season, but the return of rookie Macklin Celebrini off injured reserve has been one bright spot for the team. Celebrini is coming off a dominant collegiate hockey career with Boston University, winning the Hobey Baker Award and scoring 64 points. Celebrini is bringing his talent to San Jose, where he already has three goals and an assist despite playing in only three games so far this season.
The Devils will look to remain dominant and close out the second half of the back-to-back as they take on the Sharks at Prudential Center for a 7 p.m. puck drop.
