Devils 5, Islanders 4: Another masterclass from Jack Hughes

The Devils' young superstar recorded another four points and there were no shortage of opportunities for even more.

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A few thoughts following a surprisingly enthralling game between the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders:

Jack is on a different planet

It’s Jack Hughes’ league and everyone is just living in it. Over the past few years, it has been great watching him go from a young guy finding his way to a star and, now, an undeniable superstar.

We’re no longer talking about potential with Jack. He has gotten his game to the point where he’s in the conversation as one of the very best players in the league. He’s not a couple tiers below. He’s not knocking on the door. He is there.

Hughes was borderline unstoppable through the first three games of the year, recording six points – all primary – while dragging an otherwise undeserving Devils team to a couple positive results.

Somehow he took things up another couple of levels against the Islanders. They are a stingy, structured defensive team that generally makes you grind tooth and nail to generate a chance; only to have Ilya Sorokin – arguably the best goaltender in the NHL right now – slam the door in your face.

If ever there were a game for Hughes to take a bit of a step back and have a quieter offensive night, a road date with the Islanders was a pretty good spot. Instead, Hughes had his most productive game of the season.

Hughes looked like a man possessed from the very beginning. He was dominating the puck and flying through the neutral zone, routinely making difficult entries look effortless and putting pucks on platters for his wingers.

He created an abundance of quality opportunities for his linemates at even-strength and still managed to generate more as an individual than anybody on the ice.

Jack had nine shot attempts and five scoring chances at 5v5 alone, both of which were game-highs in that state. He also assisted on six shots, which was the best mark on the Devils.

Despite breaking my charts with his 5v5 contributions (see below), he didn’t record a point in that game state. And, well, he didn’t have to.

He did all the leg work before dishing the puck to Tyler Toffoli to give the Devils a 2-1 lead early in the 2nd. The Islanders quickly answered.

Okay, no problem. Jack’s next shift he worked the puck to Luke and the youngest Hughes made no mistake to give the Devils the lead. The Islanders tied it again shortly after.

Fear not! Jack took it into his own hands once again, answering with a goal to get the Devils another lead; one they held until the dying moments of the game.

Tied again? No problem! Jack made the most of all the open ice that comes with 3v3 overtime, scoring on a beautiful individual effort to give him four points on the night.

We’re now four games into the year and Jack leads the league in scoring. There were no empty net points to pad the stats. There were no secondary assists. There were no plays where he made a pass breaking out of the defensive zone and his teammate did the rest. He directly contributed to each and every goal, picking up a primary point on all 10.

Before the year I wrote that Jack wasn’t just going to clear 100 points; he was going to blow by it. That was somewhat bold at the time. Fast forward a couple weeks and it’d be a bigger surprise if he didn’t end up with 120 or more. He is that good.

Dougie deserves his flowers