Jack Hughes opened New Jersey’s season with an overtime winner, then sent the game-used stick into the Prudential Center crowd after the Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Thursday in Newark.
- Hughes scored with 1:37 left in overtime to secure New Jersey’s first two points of the season.
- Jesper Bratt joined Hughes on the rush that began in the Devils’ end and finished at the other net.
- After the goal, Hughes threw his stick over the glass. Zach, a North Caldwell, New Jersey, fan wearing a Jack Hughes USA jersey, caught it.
- No injuries, scratches or lineup changes were reported.
- Coach Sheldon Keefe said he missed the stick toss because he was reviewing the overtime goal.
The celebration was a familiar one for Hughes, even if Devils fans had not seen it in several years. His previous stick launch followed another overtime goal, a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 15, 2021.
“It has been a long time,” Hughes said. “It was fun to do that again.”
Hughes did not aim for a particular fan when he let the stick go. He only realized afterward that Zach had come down with it.
“You throw it up there and have no idea who will get it,” Hughes said. “But he looked really excited when it got to him.”
Keefe’s attention remained on the sequence that produced the deciding goal. He noted that there was some question whether Hughes and Bratt could create enough separation after carrying the puck the length of the rink late in the extra period.
They did. Hughes finished the chance, the Devils finished opening night with a win, and one fan left Newark with more than the usual puck or T-shirt souvenir.
“That’s a bit of a signature,” Keefe said of Hughes’ celebration.
