Jack Hughes Is Doing it All for The Devils

In my first article for this site, I mentioned that Jack Hughes would need to be healthy in order for the New Jersey Devils to have any chance of having success this season.

So far, Jack is proving that notion to be correct. Hughes has put up terrific offensive numbers in the early going while his team is currently (As of Thursday, October 30) the best team in the Metropolitan Division, the Eastern Conference, and the NHL with an 8-2 record heading into their Thursday night, October 30th, tilt with the San Jose Sharks in San Jose.

When it comes to producing, Jack currently leads the team in scoring with 14 points on nine goals and five assists. Two of those goals were game-winning goals, and three of them were from a hat trick he recorded against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

For his strong offensive play, Jack was named the NHL's third star of the week for the week ending on October 26. In four games, Hughes had six points on five goals and one assist.

Jack has actually been terrific over his last five games as he has done the following:

- October 21st vs. Leafs: Three goals for three points
- October 22nd vs. Minnesota Wild: 0 points, but was a +1 and had six shots on goal
- October 24th vs. Sharks: One assist for one point
- October 26th vs. Colorado Avalanche: Two goals for two points
- October 28th vs. Avalanche: One goal and one assist for two points

If one is counting at home, that is eight points in his last five games. If the team wants to continue to win consistently, they are going to need Jack to continue to produce at the level he is producing now.

Another reason why Jack is off to a great start is because he has been able to find open areas on the ice where he can make an impact. This was exactly the case on Sunday, October 26th, when he scored in overtime to help his team to beat the Avalanche, as he told reporters after the game that he was in the right spot at the right time.

"It's a really good play by Nemec to get that puck back, recover, and get it over to me," Hughes said. "It's just being in the right spot at the right time and then [I] just have to get a quick shot off there."

Speaking of shooting the puck, Hughes currently leads his team with 38 shots on goal. While that is a good number, it would be great for both him and his team if he shot the puck even more because whenever he puts the puck on net, good things seem to happen.

Jack is also playing responsibly without the puck. He is currently +3 on the season and he has been backchecking, breaking up plays, creating turnovers, and has not been afraid to be aggressive in trying to get the puck.

It is not that Jack has not played responsibly on the other side of the puck before. It is just that this season, his strong play without the puck has been much more noticeable.

All in all, the Devils are in a good spot right now and a lot of that has to do with Jack's outstanding play. The hope is that both Jack and the Devils can keep up their fine play and find a way to make an impact come springtime.