The New Jersey Devils defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 at Prudential Center Sunday night. Jack Hughes put up four points as the Devils came back to pick up a well-deserved two points.
Recap
First Period
After a solid start, things quickly went sideways for the Devils in the first. Jake Allen went to play behind the net before losing sight of it in his skates. The Blackhawks quickly jumped on the opportunity and centered it for Ilya Mikheyev. The second-year Blackhawk buried it into the empty net to put Chicago ahead 1-0.
The Devils seemed to lose some momentum following the goal, but a power play gave them a big opportunity to earn it back. Luke Hughes fired a puck towards goal, where it was deflected by Connor Brown and went top corner past Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight. The power-play goal from Brown tied the game midway through the first.
The Blackhawks were quick to respond, though, as Simon Nemec lost sight of Frank Nazar in front of Allen. The 22-year-old buried the centering feed and put Chicago back ahead before the first period expired.
Second Period
The Devils dominated the second period, putting constant pressure on Spencer Knight. However, Spencer Knight was holding strong to keep Chicago ahead. Finally, a centering feed from Mercer found the stick of Simon Nemec, who ripped one top corner by Knight. Nemec’s 11th goal of the season tied the game again late in period two. The Devils outshot Chicago 16-5 in the middle frame, but it was still anyone’s game with just 20 minutes left.
Third Period
The Devils carried their dominance from the second period into the third. However, 10 minutes in, two costly penalties from Nick Bjugstad and Cody Glass sent the Devils to a five-on-three kill. With the open space, Connor Bedard used his patience to wait out the Devils’ defensemen and find a wide-open Frank Nazar. Nazar buried the puck and passed an out-of-position Jake Allen to give the Blackhawks back the lead.
It was getting to desperation time for New Jersey, with the clock now under six minutes left in regulation. However, with the pressure on, the Devils’ star stepped up. After a beautiful cross-ice feed from Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton ripped a shot top corner to tie the game again.
Hughes wasn’t content with overtime, though, as just 19 seconds later, he came streaking in on a two-on-one. He buried the chance by Knight to give the Devils their first lead 55 minutes into the game.
From that point on, the Devils buckled down on defense, and it was only fitting that Jack Hughes put it into the empty net to seal off a well-deserved win.
Game Notes
Dominant Victory
While the final score might not show it, the Devils dominated in their 5-3 win. At five-on-five, the Devils had 48 scoring chances and an astonishing 26 high-danger chances. They also generated an insane 5.23 expected goals at five-on-five alone.
Hughes’ Continued Dominance
Sunday’s performance from Hughes might have been his best one yet this year. Jack recorded two goals and two assists for his fifth career four-point game and first this season. Jack’s totals since the Olympics are now 10 goals and 27 points in just 16 games. Devils fans can only hope to see what a full season of a healthy Jack Hughes can do for them.
What’s Next
The Devils will next head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers on Tuesday at 7:00 pm ET.