Luke Hughes, a 19-year-old NHL defenseman, made his third appearance in the Stanley Cup playoff series between the New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes. His team was down 2-0 and needed an offensive spark. Despite the pressure, Hughes felt no nerves. Instead, he contributed two assists in 12:55 of ice time, helping the Devils win 8-4 at home.
Background
Hughes was drafted fourth overall in 2021 and signed with the Devils to join his brother, Jack Hughes, after his season with the University of Michigan ended. He had a goal and an assist in two regular-season games but had not seen the ice in the playoffs. However, with defenseman Ryan Graves injured, coach Lindy Ruff made Hughes one of the seven defensemen he dressed against the Hurricanes.
Performance and Feedback
Hughes had a great night, according to Ruff. He energized the Devils with his skating and puck movement, factoring in on two Devils goals. Hughes’ strong forechecking led to a chance that defenseman Damon Severson put behind Carolina goalie Pyotr Kochetkov for a 5-1 lead. Later, he picked up a secondary assist on Ondrej Palat’s game-clinching goal to make it 8-4, which was the Devils’ first power-play goal against the Hurricanes this season in 22 attempts.
Hughes’ teammate, Brendan Smith, praised his skating ability and compared it to his brother’s. Smith occasionally offered advice to Hughes during the game, hoping to help his game.
Jack Hughes’ Performance
While Luke was energizing the Devils, his brother Jack electrified the crowd in other ways. In the second period, Jack absorbed repeated cross-checks in the back from Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho. Eventually, Jack grabbed him and wrestled the Carolina star to the ice as the crowd cheered. Jack had two goals and two assists, becoming the 12th player in Devils franchise history to have four points in a playoff game.
The game was a wild ride, with the Devils’ power play finally scoring and the Hurricanes becoming the first team in 35 postseasons to score three shorthanded goals in a game. However, the Devils were the better team, according to Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, who called his team’s performance “horrible.” The Devils are trying to rally from a 0-2 series deficit for the second straight round, and Jack said that experience helps the Devils, but only so much.
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