Dougie Hamilton made an immediate impact in his New Jersey Devils debut, and Jack Hughes showcased why he was a No. 1 overall pick with a stellar performance.
Hughes netted his second goal of the night just under a minute into overtime, while the newly signed Hamilton scored on his very first shot as a Devil. New Jersey edged out the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in a thrilling game on Friday night despite losing a late two-goal lead.
“It was awesome,” said Hamilton, who joined the Devils on a seven-year, $63 million contract during the offseason. “Having the fans back and hearing them so loud and excited was incredible.”
The game was full of excitement from start to finish.
Chicago’s Dominik Kubalik and Kirby Dach forced the extra period with two late goals, both coming with their net empty in the final 3:53 of regulation.
Hughes sealed the win in overtime on an odd-man rush, faking a shot to outmaneuver Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen before sliding the puck into the open net.
“It was a 2-on-1 for most of the rink, so I had plenty of options,” Hughes said. “Gravy (Ryan Graves) drove to the net, which gave me the patience to move the goalie and score.”
Andreas Johnsson also scored for New Jersey, while Jonathan Bernier made 24 saves. The Devils aim for their first playoff appearance since the 2017-18 season.
Alex DeBrincat scored for Chicago, which is off to a 0-1-1 start after making significant roster changes. Lankinen made 25 saves, including one just 17 seconds in when Hamilton scored on a pass from Pavel Zacha, marking the fastest season-opening goal in Devils’ history.
“A lot of their chances came from our mistakes with the puck,” said Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton, who was pleased his team managed to salvage a point.
Dach cut New Jersey’s lead to 3-2 with a power-play goal after Devils rookie Dawson Mercer received a four-minute high-sticking penalty at 12:49 of the third period. Kubalik then tied the game with just 25.5 seconds left in regulation.
Hamilton’s early goal set the tone, firing a shot past Lankinen just 17 seconds after the opening faceoff, beating the previous team record set by Zach Parise in 2006-07.
DeBrincat equalized on a power play early in the second period, thanks to a slick assist from Patrick Kane.
Hughes gave New Jersey a 2-1 lead with 2:02 left in the second, spinning around to collect a loose puck and fire it past Lankinen. Johnsson added a third goal in the third period, poking in a loose puck after Mercer hit the post.
SALUTE TO JIMMY HAYES
Both teams paid tribute to the late Jimmy Hayes, with the Devils wearing No. 10 jerseys and the Blackhawks donning No. 39 during their pregame skate. Hayes, who played for both teams, tragically passed away in August at the age of 31. A video tribute in the first period drew cheers from the crowd, with Hayes’ wife, Kristen, and family members in attendance.
GAME NOTES
Chicago rested goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury so he could start against Pittsburgh, where he began his career and won two Stanley Cups. The Devils were missing forward Miles Wood and defensemen Ty Smith and Damon Severson, all due to lower-body injuries. This was the first meeting between the teams since the Blackhawks’ 2-1 victory over the Devils on Dec. 6, 2019.
UP NEXT
- Blackhawks: Visit Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
- Devils: Host the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
