New Jersey rookie Luke Hughes overcame a hard hit and scored the game-winning goal in overtime, assisted by his older brother Jack Hughes, as the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Thursday night.
Luke Hughes’ Resilience
Luke Hughes was hit from behind and appeared to be in significant pain, clutching his left arm as he skated to the locker room. Despite initial concerns, he returned to the game and scored the decisive goal 28 seconds into overtime.
“I thought he showed a lot of determination,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “We didn’t know if he was gonna get back. He took one heck of a hit. To come back and play the way he did shows a lot of grit.”
Game-Winning Play
Luke Hughes received a perfect pass from Jack Hughes and buried the puck in the net, sealing the victory for the Devils.
“It was a resilient win for our guys,” Hughes said. “After you take a hit like that, pulling yourself from the game might be easy, but I wanted to finish it.”
Regulation Highlights
Alexander Holtz, Jack Hughes, and Tyler Toffoli scored during regulation for the Devils. Goalie Akira Schmid made 44 saves to keep the team in the game.
The Devils led 3-1 entering the third period, but the Flyers managed to tie it up. Sean Walker scored with 5 minutes left, and Tyson Foerster netted a power-play goal with 50.9 seconds remaining to force overtime.
Flyers’ Struggles
The Flyers fell to 0-10-1 when conceding the first goal. They had a promising start to the season under coach John Tortorella but have struggled when falling behind early.
“Hopefully, we just keep finding our way,” Tortorella said. “You could sense we had an opportunity to get back into the game.”
Key Moments
Jack Hughes opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season, giving the Devils a 2-0 lead. The Flyers responded with a power-play goal from Morgan Frost, their eighth power-play goal of the season.
Holtz scored early to give the Devils a 1-0 lead, and Toffoli added a power-play goal in the third period, extending the lead to 3-1.
Physical Play
Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway was ejected for his hit on Luke Hughes. Despite the physical setback, Hughes returned and ultimately scored the game-winner.
“That hit might have been an easy excuse to leave the game, but Luke showed his toughness by returning,” Ruff added. “His effort was crucial to our victory.”
Upcoming Games
- Devils: Host the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.
- Flyers: Play at Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
