G60 New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks: Another Hughes masterclass?

Jack Hughes put up 18 shot attempts, 11 shots on goal, and three points last time out. He has a great matchup to make his mark once again.

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

Taking over

While Jack Hughes has clearly not been himself for a while now, you forget how just how dominant he can be until seeing a performance like Tuesday night in San Jose.

Hughes had the puck on a string from start to finish, effortlessly dancing his way through the Sharks while piling up scoring chances what felt like every shift.

When Hughes is on, he almost has this defiance in his game where he commands the puck and does whatever he wants knowing the opponent is not stopping him.

It’s like he hits this next gear and powers up. Everyone on the ice understands to simply give Hughes the puck and get out of the way, knowing full well he is going to make something happen.

Hughes generated 18 shot attempts, 11 shots on target, and three points in San Jose. It was just his second multi-point game of the calendar year 2024, which tells you all you need to know about his health.

I doubt Hughes magically flipped a switch in the sense he was, say, 75% on Sunday but 100% on Tuesday.

It was the first time he has truly looked like himself, though, and every bit he inches towards full health will increase the chances of performances like that.

John Gibson (+2 GSAE) started on Thursday, leaving Lukas Dostal (-6.5 GSAE) to play tonight. Trevor Zegras remains sidelined. Cam Fowler left with an injury and is unlikely to play. Ilya Lybushkin was traded.

An already bad Ducks team is going to have a thinned out roster in a back-to-back situation. This is a great spot for Hughes to dominate once again.

Turning a corner on the power play