Devils 3, Penguins 2: Hughes, Daws come up big in shootout win

Jack Hughes potted both Devils goals while Nico Daws held things down at the other end to earn a much-needed victory.

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The New Jersey Devils picked up an eventful shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.

Here are a few observations from the game:

Jack Hughes came up big

The Devils always need Jack Hughes to produce. They are as reliant on him as pretty much anybody in the league and his importance only gets magnified without Nico Hischier in the lineup.

He came up big last night, netting both goals the Devils scored and looking as dangerous as anybody on the ice.

His opening goal was a little fluky as he made a pass to Ondrej Palat in the slot, it bounced around like a pinball, and the next thing you know it’s in the back of the net. A goal is a goal, though.

Hughes soon scored a more Hughes-like goal, finding space in the offensive zone off a faceoff and hammering home a one-timer to give the Devils a two-goal lead. He made such good contact the puck got stuck in the net.

While he didn’t pick up a point over the final ~35 minutes, it certainly wasn’t for a lack of chances.

Hughes was a menace during 4v4 play, he sprung Bratt for a great opportunity on the PK, and he had several great looks in overtime where it felt like he never left the ice.

Add it up and we’re talking about a two-goal, six-chance, 10-attempt game in which he logged upwards of 26 minutes of ice. You don’t see many forwards having that much put on their plate.

Outside of not losing the puck in the shootout, there wasn’t much to nitpick with regard to Hughes and his ability to create consistent offense. The Devils needed every bit of it.

Nico Daws held the fort