Devils Postgame
Despite Ailment, Luke Hughes Impresses, Again; Devils Down Wild in Shootout
Despite dealing with a minor injury, Luke Hughes continues to impress in another win over the Minnesota Wild.
NEWARK—Despite missing the last few practices, Luke Hughes is firing on all cylinders. The New Jersey Devils hosted the Minnesota Wild in the second game of a home-and-home on Monday.
Hughes has been absent from the last few practices and morning skates as he nurses a lower-body injury.
Except, amid this string of games where Hughes is dealing with a lingering groin issue, he’s helped propel the Devils to victory twice, now.
As opposed to the high-scoring affair over the weekend, Monday’s game was much closer.
The Devils had the exact opposite start on Monday as opposed to their Saturday night tilt with the Wild. Through the first five minutes of the game, the Wild took a 5-0 shot advantage and challenged Jacob Markstrom early.
However, the Devils weathered the storm, pushing back to eventually work their way to an 8-5 shot advantage by occupying the offensive zone for the better part of 10 minutes in the first period.
Luke Hughes opened the scoring, finding an open sheet of ice in front of him with the puck on his stick, firing a puck past Filip Gustavsson glove-side, sending the Devils into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.
The second period didn’t bring much by way of scoring. Johnathan Kovacevic took an early tripping penalty that sent the Devils to the penalty kill 1:23 into the middle frame. The Devils were later called for a controversial holding penalty that sat Brian Dumoulin down for two minutes. New Jersey killed both infractions.
Outside their time on the PK, the Devils dominated the puck at even strength. Although they came away with the lead in the first period, the Wild out chanced the Devils 12-5 at 5-on-5. In the second period, the Devils flipped the script, and out-chanced Minnesota 13-4.
It was a goaltenders duel in the second period. Neither side gave up a tally in the second 20 minutes of the game, sending the one-goal tilt into the third period 1-0 in favor of New Jersey.
The Devils gave up an early goal in the third period as the Wild tied the game within the first three minutes. A shot from the point by Jacob Middelton was redirected past Markstrom by Vinnie Hinostroza at the net-front.
New Jersey thought they re-gained their lead immediately when a Brett Pesce shot seemingly got past Gustavsson. However, the call on the ice was no goal, and the official review confirmed the puck never crossed the goal line.
New Jersey did, in fact, take their lead back, however. After the Devils lost a faceoff in the offensive zone, Luke Hughes’ poke-check at the blueline took the puck off Justin Brazeau’s stick and into Stefan Noesen’s hands. The Devils winger fed Nico Hischier on Gustavsson’s doorstep for an easy tap-in goal, giving New Jersey a 2-1 lead.
Hischier’s first goal on Monday was his fourth goal against the Wild in his last two games.
A miscue below the Devils’ goal line saw the Devils give up their lead late in the third period. Brenden Dillon played the loose puck, however, his clearing attempt went off a Wild skater, and landed perfectly on Matt Boldy’s stick in the slot to tie the game.
Each team acquired a point as the Devils and Wild required overtime. The Devils thought they won on the stick of Paul Cotter. However, the Wild won an offsides challenge when Hischier entered the offensive zone before the puck earlier in the sequence.
Extra time wouldn’t do it either, and the Devils and Wild went to a shootout.
Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt each scored in the shootout, and the Wild couldn’t convert, securing New Jersey’s 3-2 victory.
Hughes accrued another two points (1g,1a) and led all skaters in time on ice (28:38).
Markstrom made 25 saves on 27 shots, and turned aside two Wild power play chances.
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