Devils Report Card: Jack Hughes Lackluster; Penalty Kill Superb

NEWARK — After digesting the New Jersey Devils’ 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs, there are certainly some thoughts that arise. Thus, we bring you a new, annual report card following each and every Devils game this season which will be published the day after a game.

READ — Devils Postgame: Keefe Disappointed, Defense Struggles in 4-2 Loss to Maple Leafs

The Devils fell behind 3-0 to the Maple Leafs quickly in the first period. Head coach Sheldon Keefe was visibly and audibly not please with his teams’ ability to find another level and compete with the pep in the Maple Leafs’ step.

There’s the added issue that Jacob Markstrom — who was the best goaltender in the NHL at stopping high-danger chances last season — wasn’t able to bail out his teammates. They didn’t make his job any easier in front of him. The onus isn’t completely on him, as the Devils’ head coach was adamant about the defense and level of compete not being up to snuff.

“Not a great first period for [Markstrom], but I would agree he settled. I didn’t think we gave up very much after. There was that one sequence he made a great save that kept us in the game, but there was no one here on their game tonight,” Keefe explained.

Devils Report Card

Jacob Markstrom: C+

As coach Keefe said, Markstrom really didn’t have a good first period at all. Sure, the defense in front of hi could have been much tighter, but there’s a reason why general manager Tom Fitzgerald made Markstrom his No.1 priority over the summer. The Swedish netminder was the best goaltender in the NHL at stopping high-danger chances last season. He couldn’t buy a high-danger save in the opening frame, and it ultimately contributed to the Devils’ 4-2 loss.

After the Maple Leafs scored three goals on 11 shots in the first period, Markstrom settled and looked much more like his Prague-self, making 10 saves on the 11 ensuing shots.

The Devils will need to be tighter in front of him, but they’re also relying on the 6-foot-6 goaltender to bail them out in those big moments.

Simon Nemec: D

Again, it’s too early to be overly concerned with Simon Nemec’s performance. However, through three games thus far he hasn’t been all that convincing on the ice.

MORE: Finding Nemo: Devils Simon Nemec Struggles Raising Concern?

Sure, he’s paired with a rookie who is bound to make mistakes. However, his individual play and compete just don’t appear to be there right now. That’s not to say it’s all been bad. Nemec has had moments that have just been okay.

Yet, when zooming the lens in further, the once-aggressive rookie appears to be a bit passive to start the 2024-25 season.

Perhaps, he’s still nursing a lingering injury which stems from over the summer.

Jack Hughes: D

As opposed to the hot start Jack Hughes got off to last season, his start in 2024-25 has been lackluster.

Perhaps, it’s to be expected. Hughes is coming off offseason shoulder surgery. He’s had a full training camp and preseason to get acclimated, but hasn’t quite risen to the occasion yet. Through three games, Hughes has two assists, both coming in Game Two of the Global Series.

Yet in Thursday’s performance, Hughes looked disengaged. He registered two shots in 23:28 of time on ice and didn’t factor in on offense at all.

Hughes is talented enough to make a plethora of scoring chances even on an off night. He did so last night, yet, said chances weren’t nearly as impactful as we know Hughes can make them. He was on the positive side of the scoring chance differential, but never really felt like a threat on the ice.

In fact, Hughes wasn’t even the driving force of his line, as Timo Meier usurped that role as the successful puck carrier and chipped in a goal at 5-on-5.

Further, going 1/8 in the faceoff dot is a tough look.

As Jack goes, so do the Devils. He was a factor last Saturday in Prague when they were propelled to a 3-1 victory, but on Thursday night he largely wasn’t. And that’s not going to fly for New Jersey in what’s supposed to be a bounce-back season.

Jesper Bratt & Timo Meier: B

As opposed to Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier were a bit more effective than Jack. For starters, they each chipped in a goal. Bratt converted on the power play and Meier pulled the Devils back in the game, scoring New Jersey’s second goal.

The encouraging thing about Meier is that his shots are finding the back of the net. He’s also done a decent job of moving the puck and pushing it deep into the offensive zone. Meier’s situational awareness has been excellent as well, drawing a roughing penalty on Simon Benoit, who tried to lure Meier in to drop the gloves that led to a Devils power play.

Bratt similarly has always been quite good at carrying the puck over the blue line, and he’s even chipping in physically and winning his puck battles.

Hughes’ line mates might have been ranked similarly to Hughes after last night’s game. However, the main difference, which is perhaps the most important factor, is they each found the back of the net.

After all, that is the point of the game, right?

Devils Penalty Kill: A+

The Devils’ penalty kill (PK) was superb on Thursday, killing the only two chances that the Maple Leafs received on the man advantage. It’s also quite good that the Devils remained disciplined and only sat in the penalty box for four minutes.

For a team who can deploy a unit that consists of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, & Mitch Marner, Toronto was truly limited. The Maple Leafs were only able to accrue one shot against the Devils’ PK. In fact, there was one instance in which Jesper Bratt and Johnathan Kovacevic killed off about 40 seconds of Toronto’s power play completely on their own by keeping the puck low in the Maple Leafs’ zone.

It was a perfect night on the PK, allowing zero goals, minimal shots, and spending plenty of time in Toronto’s end of the ice.

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