Jack Hughes put on a show for New Jersey Devils fans last night picking up one goal and two assists in a 5-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Just over a minute into the game, Hughes danced around Montreal and laid the puck off to a waiting Jesper Bratt. An easy goal for Bratt to open up the game and put the Devils up 1-0 early on. Hughes did not stop there as he picked up his second assist of the night 12 minutes into the game as he fed Ondrej Palat who ripped a shot past Canadiens’ goaltender Sam Montembeault.
Thanks to the slick hands of Hughes and his playmaking ability, the Devils went into the second period with a 2-0 lead.
The Canadiens came out looking much sharper against the Devils in the second period. Alex Newhook found the back of the net for the Canadiens five minutes into the period, making the score 2-1. Devils’ defender Jonas Siegenthaler added the Devils third goal soon after to bring the Devils back to their two-goal lead.
It was looking like the Devils would head into the third period with a two-goal lead over the Canadiens until Brendan Gallagher added a goal for the Canadiens with just under a minute left in the period.
The third period began, and it was the Hughes show again. Hughes found the net off a Bratt pass putting the Devils up 4-2, his third point of the night. But soon after, the Canadiens got one back and cut the Devils lead to 4-3.
With the empty net on the other side, Bratt was able to get the puck out of the zone and send it into the Habs goal for his second goal of the night and a 5-3 Devils win.
Despite having points, Hughes has not looked like his usual super star self in the beginning of the season, until last night. With a healthy Hughes on a mission every night, the Devils could see themselves climbing back up the rankings.
Hughes seemed to be the star last night, Bratt quietly had a three-point night. With two goals and one assist, Bratt collected the second star of the night.
Although the Devils took two points last night, it can’t go unmentioned that Jacob Markstrom needs to be better in net for the Devils. The Devils goaltender faced 24 shots, allowing three on net. He ended the game with a save percentage of .875%.
The Devils are 4-0-1 in their last five games – has New Jersey found their groove after having a rough skid?
The Devils take on the New York Islanders on the island on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
