Devils' Hughes & Toffoli Star in 5-2 Win vs. Canadiens

Jack Hughes' 4-point night & Tyler Toffoli's hat trick helped power the New Jersey Devils to a 5-2 win over the Canadiens

The New Jersey Devils came away with a big 5-4 win against the New York Islanders on Friday (Oct. 20) and were looking to build off it last night against the Montreal Canadiens. Despite a somewhat slow start, the Devils ended up on their way to a pretty convincing 5-2 win. Here are some takeaways and a quick look ahead to tonight's tilt against the Washington Capitals. 

Jack Hughes Is a Superstar

There were other takeaways from this game we could've started this post with, like Tyler Toffoli's hat trick. But Jack Hughes had another superstar-like performance, with his second-straight four-point game, bringing him to 14 points in five contests for the season. 

Hughes didn't score a goal, but he had four assists, all of which were primary. He now has 14 primary points on the season, which is bananas good. And not only are the counting totals there, but the team is tilting play with him on the ice. 

The Devils had more of the puck with Hughes on the ice against the Islanders and built on it against the Montreal Canadiens, totaling a 76.22 expected goals percentage (xG%) and having a 22-7 advantage in shot attempts.

Not only was Hughes a force at five-on-five, but he was a difference-maker on Toffoli's power-play goal, making a nifty pass through traffic to give Toffoli plenty of space to shoot. And he was also key in setting up Toffoli for the empty-net goal to help him complete his hat trick. 

Hughes will cool off at some point (at least, I think he will), but even when he does, there could be something special brewing in New Jersey. His scoring is not accidental, evidenced by all his points being primary. If he keeps up his torrid pace through Christmas, he will be in the Hart Trophy conversation. 

Devils Seem to Have Found Their Top-Six

It took a few games to find a couple of top-six units that gel, but Devils coach Lindy Ruff seems to have found it over the last two games. Though it started against the Islanders, their top-six hit another level against the Canadiens.