The New Jersey Devils beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 to earn their fourth victory in five games, and climb back within three points of a playoff spot.
However, the real story of last night’s game continues to be the dominant play of Jack Hughes.
I’m sure you know by now: Hughes’ goal and three points in last night’s win gives him four goals and 12 points in his last five games. Since returning from his shoulder injury, the 20-year old center has posted totals of seven goals and 17 points in 15 games.
It’s been a dominant month in general for Hughes, whose production has him with some great company (and fellow former first-overall picks)....
The Devils look like a totally different team since returning from the season’s pause with the league’s second-best record. Not only has their power play been converting at a 33% rate over this recent stretch, but they’ve been absolutely flawless on the penalty kill, have a positive shots-per-game differential (+3.7), and are tied for third among teams with 20 goals scored, 13 of which were five-on-five.
Yes, it’s a small sample size, but encouraging to see nonetheless.
Noteworthy Notes
1. Jack Hughes isn’t the only Devils to come out of the pause firing on all cylinders. Jesper Bratt—who got a goal and two points last night—has two goals and eight points in New Jersey’s last five contests.
2. Mackenzie Blackwood held his own in net last night, stopping 24 of 25 shots. Despite last night’s commendable effort and starting in every game since play resumed, Blackwood’s play has still been concerning. Since December 29, he’s posted a 3.36 GAA and .890 SV%. Ironically, these numbers are slightly worse than his seasonal totals—3.20 GAA, .899 SV%. Last night was the first time in eight games Blackwood didn’t surrender three or more goals. Since posting his shutout victory on December 8, Blackwood has given up 29 goals in eight games.
3. It was unfortunate Yegor Sharangovich was unavailable for a second straight game, but I’d like to acknowledge how he’s turned things around after his slow start to the season. After going 13 games without a goal, Sharangovich has seven in his last 17 contests. Although it puts him on pace for roughly 17-18 goals for the season, Sharangovich has been scoring at a 33-goal pace since getting his first of the year.
4. Two players whose production has noticeably tapered off are Andreas Johnsson and Pavel Zacha. Johnsson hasn’t scored a goal in 15 games and only has four points over that span. Zacha only has one goal and three points in his last 16 contests. Remarkably, Johnsson is still second in scoring on the Devils. Both are in COVID-19 protocol.
Latest Devils Transactions
******
Sam Woo is co-host and executive producer of the Let's Go Devils Podcast which can be heard live every Sunday at 9pm ET and Wednesday at 8:30pm ET. You can follow Sam on Twitter: @PrimetimeSamWoo 
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»