New Jersey Devils notes: On Hughes, an improving power play, and more

Jack Hughes has five points through seven games but all signs point to a real outburst sooner rather than later.

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A few New Jersey Devils notes on this off-day:

Jack Hughes’ breakout is coming

A quick glance at the numbers would have you thinking No. 86 is off to a slow start offensively.

Despite the Devils possessing a winning record, and averaging 3.3 goals per night, Hughes has only five points through seven games. That’s top-6 production; but not what you’d expect from your budding superstar and highest paid forward.

Friend of the blog, Dom Luszczyszyn, had several Devils notes in the latest edition of 16 Stats. One of the things he touched on was Hughes’ production. Dom suggested Hughes is not only fine; but poised for an offensive explosion.

Last year, when Hughes was on the ice, the Devils scored 4.51 goals-per-60 in all situations and he earned 3.5 points-per-60 — that’s 78 percent of the offence. This year, the Devils are scoring 4.69 goals-per-60 with Hughes on the ice, but he only has a point on 2.13 of those. Just 45 percent.

That will be fixed soon as Hughes is set to explode with the way he’s generating offense right now. With Hughes on the ice, the Devils are generating an absurd 4.56 expected goals-per-60. His time will come.

I certainly agree with Dom. Hughes picking up points on less than half the goals he’s on the ice for is egregious; especially considering how much the offense runs through him.

At 5v5 I have Jack Hughes with 55 primary shot contributions (27 attempts, 28 assists) through five tracked games. That’s 11 per night, which is a noticeable uptick from the 9.89 he averaged a season ago. As you might recall, Hughes produced at a 94-point pace in said season.

The Devils are generating shots, scoring chances, expected goals, etc. at a higher clip with Hughes on the ice than last year and, again, he’s facilitating even more of those opportunities.

It’s only a matter of time before he starts filling the scoresheet on a nightly basis.

The power play is improving