NEWARK—For a second, it looked like the New Jersey Devils were going to skate without Jack Hughes on Saturday morning. However, the superstar forward stepped on the ice a smidge late, and skated with the team as a full participant before their tilt with the Dallas Stars.
Jack Hughes and Team USA are just hours away from heading into battle at the 4 Nations final against Team Canada on Thursday.
The New Jersey Devils were looking to get back into action after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Although some of these players didn’t get a real vacation, the team was back in action, hosting the Dallas Stars on Feb.
MONTREAL — It was Team Finland that got in the way of Jack Hughes and Team USA in the U18 World Junior Championships in 2018, and it was Team Finland that got in the way of Hughes and Team USA in the U20 World Juniors — on a late third-period goal by Kaapo Kakko, no less — in 2019.
What's best for country isn't always what's best for club, as made clear by this week's dance among the Canucks, Team USA and the NHL.
Hughes scored a power-play goal at the 10:00 mark of the third period to get the Devils on the board, cutting the score to 2-1. He then cut it to 3-2 at 11:40 with a snap shot from the left circle after Matt Duchene replied to his first goal. Hughes leads the Devils with 67 points (26 goals, 41 assists), and he's in the NHL's top-10 scorers.
Team USA could bring in an elite teammate for Jack Hughes, Matthew Tkachuk, and the rest of the roster ahead of the Four Nations Face-Off Final.