P3 New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals: Hughes debuts

We'll get our first look at Jack Hughes following off-season shoulder surgery.

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

Hughes debuts

Jack Hughes is expected to make his preseason debut after sitting on the sidelines in the team’s opener.

Eyes will be glued to Hughes for a variety of reasons. While his ridiculous skill level and dynamic ability always stand out, I’ll be focusing more on the little things as he gets up to speed following shoulder surgery.

How does he respond to being hit and pushed along the boards? How does he fare in the faceoff circle? Do the Devils try and mitigate the strain on his shoulder by having others step in and take draws off his plate?

Those aspects of the game will tell us just how far along Hughes is in his recovery and if he’s truly 100% – or if he’s good enough to play but it’ll take time before all systems go.

How is the chem?

Timo Meier and Jack Hughes were not good together a season ago. They just weren’t. They seemed to get into each other’s ways in how they wanted to attack in the offensive zone, there wasn’t much flow in possession, and their numbers were bad. Not by their standards – by any standards.

The Devils controlled 44% of the expected goals and were outscored 12-7 with that duo on the ice. Not what you want from your $16.8 million combination.

Having said that, they both dealt with injuries for the majority of the season and seemingly everything crumbled around them. It wasn’t exactly the perfect situation for them to succeed.

Considering how gifted each player is, and the fact they dominated during 108 minutes together the year prior, it’s more than reasonable for Sheldon Keefe to give them another look and see how they mesh in his system.

The Capitals are dressing a pretty good lineup tonight so this will be a good test for them; it’s not as if Meier and Hughes will be facing bottom-tier competition that won’t give us any real gauge.

A new-look power play