DETROIT — Jack Hughes turned a loose Red Wings puck into the deciding rush 1:19 into overtime Tuesday, scoring on a breakaway to lift the New Jersey Devils past Detroit 5-4 at Little Caesars Arena.
Hughes finishes Devils rebound
New Jersey had been beaten 4-1 at home by the Ottawa Senators on Monday, but it found enough offense to close a back-to-back set with a win. Hughes took a pass up the middle from Jesper Bratt after Detroit gave the puck away in the offensive zone, then beat John Gibson on the blocker side.
- Hughes scored the overtime winner and added two assists.
- Bratt had a goal and two assists, including the primary assist on the winner.
- Evan Rodrigues and Anthony Mantha each posted a goal and an assist.
- Jake Allen stopped 23 shots for New Jersey, which moved to 3-3-0.
Rodrigues opened the scoring at 6:07 of the first period. Stefan Noesen got in the way of Justin Faulk’s clearing try and fed Rodrigues in the slot for his first goal of the season.
Detroit’s young line pushes back
The Red Wings answered late in the opening period when Emmitt Finnie carried down the left side and snapped a shot over Allen’s right shoulder from the face-off dot at 18:35. Anton Johansson collected the secondary assist, the first NHL point of his career.
Finnie helped Detroit take its first lead just 1:43 into the second. He sent a cross-ice feed to Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who converted a 2-on-1 chance for a 2-1 advantage. Detroit was heavily underwater in shots at that point, trailing 18-4, but had made the most of its early looks.
- Alex DeBrincat recorded two goals and one assist.
- Brandsegg-Nygard finished with a goal and an assist.
- Finnie also had a goal and an assist.
- Gibson made 32 saves for Detroit, now 1-3-2.
Four lead changes before overtime
Mantha brought New Jersey level at 7:03 of the second period, taking Dawson Mercer’s pass across the ice and scoring from the left side for his first of the season.
Nico Hischier put the Devils ahead 3-2 on the power play at 10:16, but Detroit quickly found its response. Allen had lost his stick, and New Jersey cleared the zone without returning it to its goaltender. On the Red Wings’ next attack, DeBrincat fired a wrist shot through traffic to tie the game 3-3 at 15:10.
Bratt restored the Devils’ lead at 16:52 of the second, only for DeBrincat to strike again in the third. His one-timer from the left circle at 5:46 made it 4-4 and set up Hughes’ overtime finish.
