G23 New Jersey Devils @ Vancouver Canucks: The Hughes Bowl™

All three Hughes brothers are set to square off for the first time tonight in Vancouver.

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A few notes to get you set for New Jersey vs. Vancouver:

The Jack Hughes Takeover

All three Hughes brothers are fantastic players in their own right but I have a sneaky suspicion Jack will be the one to steal the show in this game.

He has gone nuclear since returning from injury, piling up 39 shots on 60 attempts. That is ~eight shots on goal, and 12 attempts, per game. Absurd numbers.

It’s not like Hughes is just throwing muffins from range. He has piled up a league-leading 36 scoring chances in that span, with Nikita Kucherov (32) being the only other player above 30.

I very much doubt he is going to slow down going up against his older brother. Jack has absolutely feasted on the Canucks in recent years, posting astronomically high numbers across the board.

Hughes has produced nine points, 24 shots, and 39 attempts over his last four games against the Canucks. He found the scoresheet at least twice in each of those games.

Sure, you could argue the Canucks are better now than they were in previous years. That’s more than fair.

It’s also safe to say Jack has taken his game to a completely different level than he was at in the past.

Everybody knows the personality Jack is. He wants to be the best, he wants to put on a show, and he lives for the big moment. If he’s going up against his brother, or a rival, he always wants to be the guy. And he always is.

I expect Jack will give the Canucks all they can handle – and then some – in this one.

Special teams are crucial