The Devils didn’t need long in overtime to settle things against the Flyers, and Jack Hughes made sure the finish belonged to him. On a shift that started with Sheldon Keefe juggling his options, Hughes turned a defensive-zone draw into the game-winner, with Jesper Bratt right there to finish the job.
Keefe opened overtime with Nico Hischier alongside Timo Meier and Luke Hughes. When that group couldn’t end it and the Devils were forced back into their own end for a faceoff, Evan Rodrigues came on with Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton.
After Rodrigues won the draw, he headed off for Jesper Bratt. That sequence passed, then the original overtime group came back out and nearly got the Devils burned when Luke Hughes got a little tired and the support around him wasn’t enough in the defensive zone, creating another draw to Jake Allen’s left.
This time, Keefe trusted Jack Hughes with the faceoff, Bratt on his wing, and Brett Pesce stepping in for Dougie.
The Flyers won the draw through Trevor Zegras, but the puck was pushed out to neutral ice and Philadelphia had to work to get back in. Travis Konecny moved it to Travis Sanheim, and the two of them worked the puck along the boards with Jack Hughes tracking the play. Hughes stayed on Sanheim as the puck moved to Zegras, whose backhanded attempt to send the puck across to Konecny was deflected by Jack Hughes and sent below the goal line.
That’s where the shift turned. Sanheim had a couple of choices, and neither was clean.
He could have thrown the puck behind the net to nobody in particular, or made a dangerous play to Zegras, who had a look with Pesce on the far side. Instead, Sanheim handled it on his forehand too slowly, and Jack Hughes stripped it away.
For a beat, it looked like Hughes might spring Bratt, who was the highest player in the zone and ready to jump. But Konecny got in the way as a pick on Bratt, forcing Hughes to beat the Flyers up the ice with his legs. Konecny took the defenseman’s role in a two-on-one against Hughes and Bratt, while Sanheim was stuck in no-man’s land and Zegras had Pesce covered as the trailer.
Then came the collapse. Konecny didn’t hold his ground.
Instead of staying up and making Hughes think about shooting straight on Joseph Woll, he went sliding on his chest. Bratt got his stick on Konecny’s blade just enough to force it back to the ice, and that opened the lane.
Hughes chipped the puck over Konecny’s reach and onto Bratt’s stick.
By the time Bratt was waiting for the puck to settle, Pesce had peeled off and drifted into a free-safety spot. Woll was already spiraling, Konecny had abandoned the play, and the Flyers were left trying to recover while Hughes kept flying through the zone. Once Bratt touched it back to Hughes, with Woll fully committed to Bratt near the post, the game was over.
The speed behind the play was a huge part of it. ESPN’s replay showed Hughes carrying sustained speed of 18-19 miles per hour as he went from the far blue line into the offensive zone, and he only dropped from 19 to 16 MPH right after chipping the puck past Konecny. NHL EDGE counts anything over 18 MPH as a speed burst, and Hughes covered roughly 70-80% of the ice at 19 MPH, maxing out at 19.43 MPH, while carrying the puck.
And then there was the stick toss. Hughes sent his stick into the crowd, and it landed with a man wearing a Team USA Jack Hughes jersey. Konecny made one last effort to stop it, but he couldn’t get there in time.
In Other News...
Nico Daws Just Revived The Devils Fear Fans Had All Summer
The Devils long summer of sorting out the crease has already hit an early nerve, and Nico Daws rough night against the Islanders did nothing to calm it. New Jersey dropped a 6-0 decision in a meeting that extended its losing streak against the Islanders to six straight, and Daws was on the wrong end of it, allowing six goals on 32 shots in a game that put the spotlight right back on the teams goaltending depth.
With Jacob Markstrom gone, the Devils were always going to be judged by how stable the position looked behind Jake Allen, and this was the kind of outing that makes every alternative look a little less certain. Remi Poirier and David Rittich are in the organization, but Daws was the one under the microscope here, and a start like this is the sort of thing that can quickly turn a quiet concern into a very loud one. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Mantha Suddenly Has A Big Chance In New Jersey
Anthony Manthas first regular-season look alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt came in the Devils 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers, and it gave a quick glimpse of why New Jersey wanted to see more. Sheldon Keefe singled out Manthas positioning and his role in a key goal, while the winger talked about the need to play a smart, straightforward game next to two linemates whose pace can force defenses into uncomfortable decisions.
For Mantha, the opportunity is arriving at a time when life is also starting to settle off the ice. He and his family have found a new home in New Jersey, and their children are starting school, making the transition feel more complete as he tries to carve out a bigger role. The fit with Hughes and Bratt is still early, but it already feels like one of those lineup combinations that could tell the Devils a lot about what Mantha can add over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Timo Meier Gives Devils Fans One More Reason To Watch Tonight
Timo Meiers night against the New York Islanders comes with a little extra significance, as he is set to skate in the 700th NHL game of his career. For the Devils, it is another reminder of how central he has become since arriving in February 2023 in a trade with San Jose, then locking in long term with an eight-year extension soon after.
Meier has settled in as one of New Jerseys most important offensive pieces, giving the lineup a steady goal threat and a real presence on the power play. He has been a consistent 20-goal scorer in recent seasons, and milestones like this one underscore just how much mileage he has already put into a career that still has plenty ahead of it. [Read more 🡒]