G41 New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes: Can Hughes stay hot?

The Devils' budding superstar has 19 goals, 28 points, and 101 shots over his last 20 games. Can he keep the ball rolling against a stout Hurricanes team?

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A few notes to get you set for tonight’s big divisional clash between the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes:

An unstoppable force vs an immovable object

Jack Hughes is in the midst of one of the best runs we have seen from a Devils player in quite some time.

The budding superstar has scored 19 goals over the last 20 games. In that time, he has put up 28 points, 101 shots, and helped the Devils dominate the run of play at 5v5.

What is crazy: Hughes did a lot of his damage with Erik Haula riding shotgun. While Haula does provide value to the line in terms of getting pucks back, winning faceoffs, and sturdy defensive play, he is not a shot creator or a finisher.

It stands to reason Hughes – who leads the team in 5v5 shot assists by 46(!!) over the 25 games I’ve tracked – could be even more productive offensively with a more dangerous weapon like Yegor Sharangovich by his side.

Suffice to say, the Hurricanes will have their hands full trying to slow the Yeezy-Hughes-Mercer line down. It is worth noting, though, that they are one of the few teams properly equipped to do so.

They’re a dominant 5v5 team, they have a true No. 1 defenseman in Jaccob Slavin to match wits against the best of the best, and they have conceded fewer shots per game to centers than all but the Devils and the Toronto Maple Leafs. If I had to pick any team to try and limit Hughes, the Hurricanes would be at or near the top of the list.

Carolina has done a pretty good job of keeping Hughes in check throughout his young career, holding him to four points through six games. They haven’t allowed a multi-point effort once in that time.

If that holds true through the end of the night, the Hurricanes have a strong chance at winning this game. On the flip side, Hughes remaining hot would go a long way towards the Devils picking up a win and closing the gap on the ‘Canes to as little as two points.

It’ll be fun to see how Hughes, in his current form, fares against one of the league’s best teams whose No. 1 goal will be slowing him down.