Jack Hughes scored three times for his third career hat trick, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
Cody Glass and Brenden Dillon also found the back of the net for New Jersey, while Jesper Bratt recorded three assists and goaltender Jake Allen made 23 saves.
John Tavares and Matias Maccelli scored for Toronto, and William Nylander contributed two assists. Anthony Stolarz faced heavy pressure throughout, stopping 30 of 35 shots.
The Maple Leafs jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the first period, but the Devils stormed back with three goals in the opening five minutes of the second to seize control.
Toronto’s Chris Tanev exited midway through the second period with an upper-body injury after colliding with New Jersey’s Dawson Mercer on a penalty kill. The sequence proved costly — the Leafs challenged the Devils’ first goal for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood, resulting in a delay-of-game penalty. Glass made it 2-1 on the ensuing power play, just moments after Tanev left for the locker room.
Hughes capped off the night with two more goals, completing his hat trick and continuing his strong start to the season.
Up Next:
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Devils: Begin a three-game homestand Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild.
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Maple Leafs: Travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres on Friday night.
