Jack Hughes delivered a standout performance by scoring a hat trick, helping the New Jersey Devils defeat the New York Rangers 6-3 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. This marked Hughes’ fourth career hat trick and his second this season, solidifying his role as a crucial player for the Devils.
In addition to his three goals, Hughes also assisted on another score. He contributed to the Devils’ power-play success by netting one of the three power-play goals and finished his hat trick with a late breakaway goal at 3:04 of the third period. Hughes sealed the victory with an empty-net goal 32 seconds before the end of regulation. Jesper Bratt supported the offense by earning a goal and two assists, and both Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer also recorded goals.
Jacob Markstrom, guarding the net for New Jersey, made 17 saves and the Devils capitalized fully on their chances by converting all three power-play opportunities, extending their winning streak to four games.
Rangers Show Effort Despite Loss
The New York Rangers had offensive highlights as well, with Will Cuylle scoring his third goal over two games, defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov finding the net for the third consecutive game, and fellow blueliner Will Borgen contributing a goal. Jonathan Quick made 29 saves while facing a barrage of shots but the Rangers, currently last in the Eastern Conference, have struggled with 15 losses in their last 19 contests, including a 4-12-3 record.
Other NHL Matchups Highlight Tight Contests and Key Performances
In Boston, the Bruins secured a 3-1 victory over the Washington Capitals, fueled by Viktor Arvidsson’s winning goal early in the third period. The win marked Boston’s 12th consecutive home triumph. Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm also scored, with David Pastrnak providing two assists. Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman stopped 22 shots, while Washington was held to just one goal by Aliaksei Protas, with Logan Thompson making 27 saves. The Capitals have now dropped three straight games amid recent trades involving veterans Nicolas Roy and John Carlson.
Winnipeg’s Jets edged the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in overtime, boosted by Josh Morrissey’s overtime winner and assist in his first game back from an upper-body injury. Mark Scheifele added a goal and two assists, while Gabriel Vilardi also scored for the Jets, whose goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 21 shots. For Vancouver, Linus Karlsson tallied a goal and an assist, and Liam Ohgren found the net as well, with Kevin Lankinen making 32 saves.
The Philadelphia Flyers overcame the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout. Trevor Zegras scored the deciding goal in the shootout, and Dan Vladar made 20 saves, including all three shootout stops. Alex Bump scored in his NHL debut, with Owen Tippett and Denver Barkey also contributing for Philadelphia. The Flyers’ head coach Rick Tocchet celebrated a milestone win in his 700th game. Pittsburgh’s Rickard Rakell scored a goal and provided an assist, with Egor Chinakhov also assisting twice, but the Penguins lost their third straight and hold a 1-9 record in shootouts.
In Columbus, the Utah Mammoth triumphed 5-4 over the Blue Jackets in overtime on Logan Cooley’s game-winning goal. Cooley had two goals, and Alexander Kerfoot and Michael Carcone each recorded a goal and an assist. Dylan Guenther and goalie Karel Vejmelka, who made 27 saves, also contributed. Columbus saw their three-game winning streak end despite goals and assists from Adam Fantilli, Mason Marchment, Damon Severson, and Mathieu Olivier, with goalie Elvis Merzlikins making 18 stops.
Islanders and Lightning Extend Success with Close Victories
The New York Islanders secured a 2-1 overtime victory against the San Jose Sharks, with Bo Horvat scoring the winner at 4:20 of extra time after a partial breakaway. Horvat’s backhand shot between the legs of goalie Yaroslav Askarov marked his 27th goal of the season. Tony DeAngelo also scored in regulation for the Islanders, strengthening their unbeaten overtime record to 9-0 this season. Ilya Sorokin recorded 30 saves, improving his personal record against the Sharks to 5-0-3. San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini scored in regulation, but the team has now lost two consecutive overtime games.
On the road, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2, ending a four-game skid. Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel each contributed a goal and an assist. Nikita Kucherov provided four assists to reach 100 points this season (32 goals, 68 assists). Additional goals came from Ryan McDonagh, Corey Perry, and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 27 shots. The Maple Leafs’ struggles continued with a seventh consecutive loss since the Olympic break, while goalie Anthony Stolarz made 28 saves.
Sabres, Canadiens, and Flames Earn Key Wins in High-Intensity Games
Buffalo Sabres’ Tage Thompson extended his career-best point streak to 10 games with a goal as the team beat Nashville 3-2. Thompson has amassed six goals and five assists during this stretch. Jason Ducker and Josh Doan also scored for the Sabres, who have now won six straight games. Goalie Alex Lyon made 23 saves. Nashville’s Zachary L’Heureux scored his first goal of the season, supported by a Matthew Wood goal, but the team has dropped four of five games. Juuse Saros stopped 21 shots for the Predators.
The Montreal Canadiens rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3, highlighted by Juraj Slafkovsky’s two goals and an assist. Nick Suzuki also starred with a goal and two assists, assisted by Jake Evans and 36 saves from goalie Jakub Dobes. The Kings, despite Scott Laughton scoring in his debut following a trade from Toronto, have only two wins in six games since the Olympic break. Other Kings contributors included Anze Kopitar and Alex Laferriere, with Brandt Clarke adding two assists. Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves.
Calgary Flames upset Eastern Conference leaders Carolina Hurricanes 5-4, spurred by Joel Farabee’s two goals and an assist, and Ryan Strome scoring and assisting in his team debut. Morgan Frost and Blake Coleman also contributed goals and assists. Goalie Dustin Wolf made 25 saves as the Flames snapped a four-game losing streak. Carolina responded with goals from Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Sean Walker, Alexander Nikishin, and three assists by Sebastian Aho, but goalie Brandon Bussi’s nine-game winning streak came to an end with 20 saves.
Senators Gain Momentum While Kraken Face Setbacks
Ottawa Senators secured a strong 7-4 victory over the Seattle Kraken on the road. Shane Pinto contributed one goal and two assists, while Michael Amadio, Tyler Kleven, Dylan Cozens, Warren Foegele, Tim Stutzle, and Brady Tkachuk also scored. Nick Cousins and Thomas Chabot each added two assists. Linus Ullmark made 17 saves and the Senators extended their point streak to six games and improved to 3-0-1 on their ongoing road trip. For Seattle, Jacob Melanson, Eeli Tolvanen, Matty Beniers, and Brandon Montour scored, and Jordan Eberle had two assists. The Kraken’s goalie Joey Daccord stopped 29 of 36 shots, but Seattle dropped to 2-2-0 during their six-game homestand.
