Jack Hughes Leads the Charge as Devils Sink Anaheim 4-1
The New Jersey Devils did not just beat the Anaheim Ducks -- they had the better of the play from start to finish, and the 4-1 final may even flatter Anaheim.
The Devils outshot the Ducks 29-17, and the gap in chance quality was wider still. New Jersey's expected goals -- how many goals their chances were worth -- came to 4.29, against just 1.50 for Anaheim. Four goals was about what the Devils earned.
Jack Hughes was at the heart of it. On a line with Jesper Bratt and Arseny Gritsyuk, he scored once, set up another, and his own looks were worth 1.04 goals, the most of anyone on the ice. Gritsyuk buried one of his team-high four shots, Anthony Mantha cashed his only shot, and Nico Hischier added another. It could have been more: Luke Evangelista and Luke Hughes each rang a post.
At the other end, Nico Daws stopped 16 of 17. Tim Washe scored Anaheim's only goal and also hit the iron, but one goal and one post were about all the Ducks could manage against a Devils team that never let them settle in. Ville Husso made 25 saves to keep the score from getting uglier.
The win lifts New Jersey to 5-4-0, holding the fourth wild-card spot in the East.