On Jack Hughes' penalty killing and running it back on goal

Jack Hughes continues to establish himself as the best PK weapon in the league. Plus, thoughts on the possibility of bringing back Jake Allen.

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A few New Jersey Devils notes as the 4-Nations break officially begins:

Jack Hughes is a different breed 🐎

I’ve talked a lot about Jack Hughes’ play on the penalty kill and just how good he has been at both ends of the ice.

The Devils have given up next to nothing defensively in Hughes’ minutes while he has threatened as much as anybody in the league.

The thought was that his numbers would dip as he continued to carve out a larger role and the sample size grew. Apparently not!

Erik Haula is the only regular penalty killer with better defensive metrics while nobody – on the Devils or in the league as a whole – is touching Hughes and his ability to make things happen at the other end.

Of the 314 players who’ve logged 40+ minutes on the penalty kill this season, Jack is the only one who has helped his team outscore the opposition.

He has a +1 goal differential, which should be +2. Hughes took the puck and rushed it up ice shorthanded the other day in Montreal but the scorekeepers say the 5th player came out right as he scored, instead counting it as a 5v5 goal. Regardless, everyone knows the play was made while the Devils were down a player.

Even missing out on that goal, and the credited scoring chance, Hughes leads the NHL in chance-generation by a healthy margin.

Bo Horvat is the only player within shouting distance of Hughes. He has generated his opportunities while giving up a lot more at the other end, though.

Earlier in the season Hughes was playing very sparingly on the penalty kill. In fact, he logged more than 25 seconds only once through the first 16 games of the year.

Now? He’s a regular. Nico Hischier’s absence has helped force Sheldon Keefe’s hand, of course, but Hughes has played at least a minute in five straight games and more than two minutes in three of them.

He’s not just a guy getting a charity shift to try and make something happen for an offensively starved team. He’s playing a legitimate role – and still has the juice and ability to create.

There is no player in the league as dynamic and effective at creating as Hughes. The Devils have truly found a secret weapon here.

Run it back? 🥅