This one had a juicy storyline going into it; as former first-round picks Quinn Hughes (7th overall-2018) and Jack Hughes (1st overall-2019) who are also brothers, squared off Monday night at Prudential Center when the New Jersey Devils hosted the Vancouver Canucks. The talented brothers from Orlando, Florida play different positions; Jack (forward), Quinn (defense); yet that allows for more chances against each other, especially during odd man rushes and power play opportunities below the red line and in front of the net.
Jack Hughes Starts The Scoring
After the teams traded shots on goal to open up the game; Jack would end up drawing first blood in this battle of brothers as he scored the opening goal in this contest nine minutes in, his 16th of the season. He picked up a turnover in the defensive zone, carried the puck across the blue line during a two-on-one rush. Hughes beat Canucks goaltender Jaroslav Halak just over his glove as he ripped a shot from the high slot at the top of the right faceoff circle in an unassisted effort.
New Jersey would continue their momentum as six minutes later, Yegor Sharangovich scored from in tight, glove high after a forced offensive turnover. There would be some nifty passing between Dawson Mercer and Hughes that would setup the opportunity for Sharangovich to get his 13th of the season, his fifth goal in five games.
The Devils would continue to pour it on with just over two minutes left in the first period, when Mercer would bury a doorstep one-timer on the powerplay. Mercer got inside position on his defender as he awaited a great cross-slot pass from the right circle by Jesper Bratt and finished the play off for his 13th goal of the season.
Vancouver would answer the onslaught to start the second period as Vasily Podkolzin would score his ninth of the season on a deflection from the blue line to attempt to stop the bleeding. It would be no relief as just two minutes later Jesper Boqvist would make a great individual effort, as he beat his defender one-on-one and muscled the puck past Halak for his fifth goal of the season.
Offensively, the Devils would continue to hammer the Canucks as once again Ryan Graves would get a lucky bounce off a Canucks defenseman in front of the net that would lead to his fourth goal of the season. The onslaught would continued just a minute and twelve seconds later. Bratt would snap a quick wrister from the right faceoff dot to beat Halak high stick side for his 19th of the season. Halak's night would come to and end here as well as he was pulled after this goal and an absolutely forgetful night for him.
Although the outcome was pretty much academic at this point in the middle of the second; Vancouver kept fighting as they answered two minutes later with the 11th goal of the season from Tanner Pearson.
The third period got off to a bit of an uneventful start compared to the first two, but that would change at about the twelve minute mark. Dougie Hamilton scored his eighth goal of the season as he was fed a perfect cross-slot pass from Boqvist to beat backup goalie Thatcher Demko glove high on a one-timed shot. That would be the cap in the action in this one with the Devils winning in dominant fashion, 7-2.
