Devils' 5-3 Win vs. Blackhawks: Jack Hughes Does It Again
Jack Hughes' 4-point night helped the New Jersey Devils overcome multiple deficits against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Jack Hughes is currently on another plane.
After a disappointing loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Saturday night, the Devils’ star player picked up the slack en route to a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Prudential Center.
Hughes tallied four points, including the game-winner in the third. With 27 points in 16 post-Olympic games, he’s a major reason for the Devils’ 10-4-0 streak.
Jack Hughes Sicko Mode
Don’t get me wrong. The Devils played a great game last night, especially over the final 40 minutes. But they don’t pull off the comeback without Hughes’ play.
It started when the Blackhawks took a 3-2 lead after scoring on a 5-on-3 power play. Given the stakes for each team, the Devils could have called it a night, but Hughes took over.
On the tying goal, Timo Meier entered the offensive zone with puck possession and made a play to get the puck to Hughes. He then made a quick and crisp pass to Dougie Hamilton. With plenty of time and space, Hamilton wired a wicked snipe past Spencer Knight to tie the game at 3-3.
Just 19 seconds after Hamilton scored, Hughes got loose after Jesper Bratt made a good bank pass of the boards. He then turned on the jets and scored on a breakaway that would eventually become the game-winner.
Hughes would cap off the four-point night by putting in the empty-net goal.
The Blackhawks may not be the most stout defensive team in the NHL, but they still had no answer for Hughes. I swear I’m not making up these numbers, but he truly went sicko mode (all strengths):
19 shot attempts
14 scoring chances
10 high-danger chances
8 shots on goal
2 goals, 2 assists
Those are outrageous numbers, even against a team that struggles defensively like the Blackhawks.
When talking about how the team has been emphasizing their rush game since the Olympics, Sheldon Keefe noted how Jack leads the team in controlled zone entries by a country mile (Luke Hughes isn’t far off, either).
It helps that Hughes is finally healthy from his hand injury, but the Devils are playing off the rush significantly more than they were before the Olympics, which is paying dividends. It better caters to the team’s strengths, and it’s part of why Hughes has looked like a different player since the break.
Devils Dominated at 5-on-5
The Devils skated the Blackhawks into the ground when they played in Chicago in mid-November, but they took it to another level yesterday.
Most of it came across the final two periods, too. The Devils generated 3.27 expected goals at five-on-five across the final 40 minutes of the game, as well as 35 scoring chances and 18 high-danger chances.
Those latter numbers would be absurd for a whole game, but the Devils managed even more than that when including the first period. They finished with 47 scoring chances and 26 high-danger chances, which I have to imagine were season-highs.
Everyone was getting their chances at five-on-five. Connor Brown scored a power-play goal, but he could have had a couple at five-on-five, too.
Meier also had a strong game, as he finished with 17 shot attempts, seven scoring chances, and four high-danger chances at all strengths. His on-ice five-on-five numbers also bordered on hilarity:
42-8 edge in shot attempts
21-4 in scoring chances
13-1 in high-danger chances
88.54 percent of the expected goals (xG%)
Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer have been the team’s best line over this 10-4-0 stretch. They consistently tilt the ice in their favor at five-on-five, and last night was no different.
Jonas Siegenthaler continues to look like Bobby Orr out there. He tallied another assist, bringing him to five points in the team’s last four games. He’s been much more active offensively, more than I’ve ever seen him.
The change in style seems to be benefiting everyone, and that’s leading to a much more formidable Devils team at five-on-five.
Allen Rebounds After Tough First Goal
Jake Allen got off to a rough start when he misplayed the puck behind the net, leading to the Blackhawks’ first goal. However, he rebounded and played excellently for the rest of the game.
Even just moments after he gave up that first goal, Allen made a couple of ten-bell saves to keep the Devils’ deficit at 1-0. The game could have had a much different look if the Blackhawks had taken a quick 2-0 lead.
The Devils didn’t give up a ton of shots, but there was some quality allowed for sure. Allen made big stops at key moments, especially when the Blackhawks pulled for the extra attacker in the third period.
When all was said and done, Allen made 28 saves on 31 shots while saving 1.03 goals above expected. He didn’t fold after making a costly mistake early, and that helped the team claw back in the game.
Quick Hits
Luke Hughes has also looked like a much different player since returning from injury on Feb. 28. He had an excellent defensive game and was active offensively. He finished the night with an xG% of 82.54 percent, and the Devils held a 38-16 shot attempt advantage with him on the ice. He’s starting to look more like the player that everyone envisioned at the start of the season.
One plus of Luke Hughes kicking into another gear is that it seems to be benefiting Johnathan Kovacevic. He finished with an xG% of 81.95 percent last night, and his five-on-five numbers have been coming along during this 14-game stretch. Even though his name came up in the rumor mill ahead of the trade deadline, it’s unlikely he’s going anywhere anytime soon. That’s why the Devils need him to play well to end the season.
Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick