G20 New Jersey Devils vs San Jose Sharks: Jack Hughes returns

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Five things to watch for when the New Jersey Devils play host to the San Jose Sharks:

1. Return of the Jack

Jack Hughes is expected to return to the lineup tonight against San Jose. Suffice to say, he’ll be an extremely welcomed addition.

Outside of the Andreas Johnsson - Dawson Mercer - Jesper Bratt line, New Jersey’s entire forward core has been rather inconsistent of late; at least in terms of producing offense.

Hughes will no doubt help kickstart the team at 5v5 and pull whichever wingers he’s with along for the ride; and there are many who could use the bump.

He should also provide a real boost on the power play. Quite frankly, it has been embarrassingly bad all season long. The Devils have had trouble getting the puck into the offensive zone with possession, let alone doing anything once that happens. Hughes will certainly help out in that regard.

There may be some rust – at least to start – but it’s hard to put into words how impactful Hughes’ return will be.

Again, he’ll drive play at 5v5 regardless of who he is with. He should be able to get more out of Yegor Sharangovich, Janne Kuokkanen, and/or Tomas Tatar. This is a guy who was on the ice for three 5v5 goals in 26 minutes prior to going down with an injury. He’s so, so, dynamic.

I think this is going to look like a completely different team tonight.