New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes of Orlando, Florida recorded his second career National Hockey League hat trick on Saturday. He accomplished the feat in a 6-3 Devils win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
How and when were the three goals scored?
Hughes scored the first goal of the game at the 47 second mark of the first period from Tyler Toffoli of Scarborough, Ontario. He then put the Devils up 4-2 at 14:54 of the second period with a game-winning goal from Jesper Bratt of Stockholm, Sweden and Nico Hischier of Brig, Switzerland. Hughes then completed the scoring into an empty net with 48 seconds left in the third period. His hat trick goal was unassisted. It is interesting that Hughes scored in the first minute of the first period, and the in the last minute of the third period.
Who else contributed offensively for the Devils?
The Floridian was one of four Devils with a multi-point game. The others were Bratt (three assists), Hischier (one goal and one assist for two points), and Toffoli (one goal and one assist for two points).
Hughes’s 2023-24 NHL Statistics
Hughes has 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points in 23 games. He is a +2 with six penalty minutes, 16 power-play points, three game-winning goals, 110 shots on goal, 82 faceoff wins, 11 blocked shots, five hits, 26 takeaways, and 27 giveaways.
Hughes’s first career NHL hat trick
Hughes’s first career hat trick came on November 26, 2022 in a 5-1 Devils win over the Washington Capitals. This game took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
One of two Floridians to have a hat trick
Only one other Floridian-born NHL player has had a hat trick. That is defenseman Jacob Chychrun of Boca Raton, who accomplished the feat in a 3-2 Arizona Coyotes win over the Anaheim Ducks on April 4, 2021.
Devils heating up
After a slow start to the season, the Devils have now won eight of their last 10 games. They are one point back of the Carolina Hurricanes for a playoff spot. The Devils’s record is 16 wins, 11 regulation losses and one loss in extra time for 33 points.
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