Devils' Jack Hughes Lights Up Canadiens in 5-3 Win
The Montreal Canadiens had no answer for Jack Hughes and his linemates in a 5-3 New Jersey Devils win.
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Is Jack Hughes back? To be fair, he never really left, but last night was the best he's looked in the early part of the 2024-25 season. The New Jersey Devils weren't at their best in the 5-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens, but Hughes led the way with a three-point night.
It was a good win for the Devils, who moved to 9-5-2 on the season ahead of a back-to-back with the New York Islanders and San Jose Sharks this weekend.
Canadiens Had No Answer for Hughes & Co.
For most of this season, it's been Nico Hischier leading the way offensively. He's cooled off a bit lately, meaning someone else would have to pick it up. And, of course, it was Hughes last night.
The Devils got off to a fast start yesterday because the Ondřej Palát, Hughes and Jesper Bratt line dominated the Canadiens at five-on-five in the first period.
It started when Hughes stickhandled through what seemed like every Canadiens defender to set up Bratt with the easiest goal he'll ever score. Hughes then made a nifty pass to Palát later in the period to help the Devils build a 2-0 lead.
The Canadiens did not have much of an answer for the Hughes line in the first period. Aside from the two goals, the Devils had a 10-2 shot attempt advantage and controlled just over 96 percent of the expected goals (xG%) when the Hughes line was on the ice. They also drew a power play with less than two minutes remaining in the opening frame.
It seemed like this line set the tone for how the rest of the game would go, but the Devils never really had the juice over the final two periods. Still, the Hughes line was there to carry the way.
Bratt and Hughes linked up for a huge goal to extend the Devils' lead to 4-2 in the third period. And they would seal the game with an empty-net goal to make it 5-3.
Hughes and Bratt were the highlights of this line, but Palát had himself a game, too. He only finished with a goal, but he could've easily had another were it not for a fantastic shoulder save from Sam Montembault after Bratt set him up with a great chance.
Had it not been for this line, I'm not sure the Devils would have come away with the two points last night. The rest of the team was just so-so, and they stepped up at the right time.
Devils Lucky the Hughes Line Dominated
The Devils did score five goals (four with the goalie in net), but I was a bit surprised by their offensive performance. The Canadiens came into the game as the worst defensive team in the NHL, allowing 3.66 expected goals per 60 minutes.
But aside from the Hughes line, the Devils didn't generate much offense. It was a quiet night for Timo Meier, Hischier and Dawson Mercer, and the Devils didn't get much from their bottom six.
Of course, there'll be stretches like that over an 82-game season. But that's three straight games where the Devils' offense hasn't looked all that great. They no-showed in Calgary, and Jake Allen carried the team against the Edmonton Oilers.
I'm not overly concerned about the Devils' offense because they're still scoring goals. But their offense hasn't been playing all that well the last few games, and they're playing a defensively stout Islanders team tomorrow night. They'll probably need more than just the Hughes line to contribute.
Markström Did Enough
It was a bit of an odd night for Jacob Markström. The first goal he let up should not have gone in, and I'd bet he'd tell you as much. His rebound control on the second goal wasn't great, but Hughes and Dougie Hamilton lost coverage on Brendan Gallagher. You can't entirely blame him for that.
Markström did give up a third tally, but it plopped over him after Hamilton got a stick on the puck and deflected it. That was just bad luck and nothing Markström could do about it.
But even though Markström was just OK, he made some timely saves when the Canadiens were tilting the ice. Just before Jonas Siegenthaler scored to give the Devils a 3-1 lead, Markström made a few consecutive stops on a scramble in front of the net to keep it a 2-1 game.
Early in the third, Markström kicked the left pad out on a quality shot from David Savard. Hughes and Bratt soon linked up for the goal to give the Devils a 4-2 lead.
Markström finished the night making 21 saves on 24 shots while giving up 0.80 goals above expected. Another concern is that he again finished with a high-danger save percentage below .750. That was supposed to be his strength, but it's been anything but that so far.
That's probably part of why Markström has been up and down this season, just as he was last night. He's not making high-danger saves at the rate we're used to from him. Given his career averages, I'd expect that to improve, but it's still a work in progress.
Quick Hits
The Devils' fourth line of Tomáš Tatar, Justin Dowling and Kurtis MacDermid didn't get on the score sheet, but they fared well. They led Devils skaters in xG%, with each player finishing above 70 percent. You don't need a fourth line to score all the time, but if they can tilt the ice in the team's favor and wear down opponents, they're getting the job done.
Another night, another game where Siegenthaler and Johnathan Kovacevic locked it down. The Devils outscored the Canadiens 2-0 and had a 60.7 xG% with them on the ice. Sure, it's the Canadiens, who aren't the best, but this pairing continues to excel in a shutdown role.
Game Score Chart
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