Two seasons ago, Jack Hughes was dominating the New York Rangers in virtually every rendition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Now, he’s doing it with his brother Luke right alongside him.
The duo combined for five points in the New Jersey Devils’ 5-1 victory Monday night. Luke, the youngest Hughes brother, has been on quite the heater. He has six points in his last six games and has done so while miraculously turning into one of the best defensive defensemen in the league. In the last ten games, his 67.76 expected goals for percentage (xGF%) leads all 175 defensemen who have played 100-plus minutes. Second on that list is his partner, Brett Pesce (64.09 xGF%). In fact, it leads every forward in the NHL too except Florida Panthers’ center Aleksander Barkov, who has Hughes beat by one-tenth of a percentage point (via Natural Stat Trick).
Jack told The Hockey Writers (THW), “Luke’s been playing really good hockey for us recently. So you know, obviously I like seeing when he’s playing really good. That really drives our team. Our six (defensemen) have been playing really good hockey as of late, and the back end is what drives our group.”
During this span, high-danger chances have been 45-25 in favor of the Devils with L. Hughes on the ice. He’s been on the ice for seven goals-for, but just two against. And the scoring chance differential is plus-40 in the Devils’ favor; they’ve averaged ten scoring chances per game with Hughes on the ice. Only Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews of the Colorado Avalanche have averaged more, but they’ve also given up more. Pretty solid company.
Hughes news in NYC: Jack scored a beaut. pic.twitter.com/0xwNKTIppd
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 3, 2024
Devils Trending Upwards
Taking control of a rivalry is cool enough, so to do it with your brother alongside you is a whole different level of surreal. And Jack is right – the whole defense has stepped up, not just Luke. At even strength, the Devils have given up just 2.21 expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) during this 10-game span – eighth in the league. And they’ve done so while generating over 18% more offense than the average of the seven teams above them.
Related: Devils Fans Need to Accept Dawson Mercer for What He Is
Combining this with a deadly power play, one that’s ranked first and has scored seven more goals than any other team, means a lot of victories. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom also talked to THW about how the defense has helped him, “I kind of know where everyone is now. When you’re on a team and don’t really know the system and all that stuff (it can be tough at first), but the defense has done a great job blocking shots, boxing out and making my job a lot easier.”
The Devils blocked 27 shots against the Rangers, their second-highest output of the season. Hughes has been eating pucks ~24% more frequently than last season and Pesce has ~27% more. Earlier in the season, head coach Sheldon Keefe told THW, “Our entire team has given (defense) an enhanced focus since the start of camp…we need that from everyone.” They’ve certainly lived up to that.
There was some initial concern that the defensive adjustments would lead to a decrease in even-strength scoring. Initially, the criticism was warranted as the Devils have already been shut out four times, matching last season’s total. But just like Markstrom said, adapting to a new system could be tough at first, and the Devils have seemed to be just fine lately. They’ve now won 12 of their last 17.
