On Sunday, the Devils finally activated star center Jack Hughes off long-term injured reserve. After playing in the first 17 games where he led them in scoring with 11 goals and 21 points, Hughes accidentally cut his finger at a Chicago steakhouse during a team dinner for a superfan’s birthday on Nov. 13. The incident led to him having finger surgery and missing 18 games.

Without him, the Devils went 8-10-0 to tread water. They entered yesterday hanging onto the final wild card in a very tight Eastern Conference with many teams bunched up. Their play suffered without Hughes, whose elite skating and talent made them much more difficult for opponents. Although they found a way to squeeze out eight wins, including two critical ones by identical 2-1 margins over the Golden Knights and Mammoth on a recent two-game road trip, they only won five times in regulation over the 18-game stretch.

During that span, Jesper Bratt’s scoring was an issue with him only having one goal over six weeks. Despite racking up a dozen assists, he went 16 games without a goal before tallying his sixth in a loss to the Lightning on Dec. 11. Money in the shootout, Bratt needs to start finding the back of the net with regularity. In 2024-25, he paced the team in scoring with 88 points. However, he finished with 21 goals for his lowest total over a full season since getting 26 in 2021-22. More of a playmaker the past two and a half years, his 146 assists top all Devils since the start of 2023-24.

Dawson Mercer also had his play affected by the loss of Hughes. He got off to a great start by posting nine goals and seven assists for 16 points over the first 17 games, helping the Devils to a 12-4-1 start. Following Hughes’ unfortunate finger injury, he only tallied six points (1-5-6) afterward.

Happy Return For Hughes in Loss

It was a happy return for Hughes in a 3-1 loss to the Sabres at home. Despite the outcome, the happy-go-lucky 24-year-old star heard loud cheers from the crowd when he took his first shift. Knowing his importance to the Devils’ chances, they understand how much he means. Without him, they became a fringe playoff team that fell to the middle of the pack.

As fate would have it, Hughes scored the first goal of Sunday’s game to a thunderous ovation at The Rock. Taking a pass from Mercer, Hughes entered the Buffalo zone, walked into the left circle and fired home his 11th past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to put the Devils ahead in the first period. He gave a big fist pump during an emotional celebration with teammates.

For starters, it showed that Hughes shouldn’t have any concerns over the repaired finger. If he can fire the puck with the same accuracy like he did in his return, that’s a good sign. Undoubtedly, the Devils need a healthy and productive Jack to make the postseason. Something they should be able to do now that he’s back along with Timo Meier and promising rookie Arseny Gritsyuk, with both returning last night.

New Jersey finally has dependable shutdown defenseman Brett Pesce back. He helped them stifle Vegas and Utah in consecutive road wins prior to the frustrating defeat in Newark. If there’s one thing that they’ll have to fix, it’s their erratic play on home ice. Once a big weapon early in the season, they’ve had their issues winning at The Prudential Center. Since losing in overtime to the Islanders on Nov. 10, they’ve lost seven of 10 at home with all seven coming over the last eight.

“For me personally, just really fun to get back out there and play,” Hughes told Amanda Stein at his locker. “Yeah. I’m just glad I’m out there again. It’s the best thing to do.”

The Devils will finish up by making the trip to Long Island to visit the Islanders on Tuesday night before the Christmas holiday break. The Islanders are one of the teams they’re now behind in the division. A point separates them in the standings entering tomorrow night’s matchup. It’ll be the second of four meetings between the old Patrick Division rivals. They’ll also meet again at Elmont on Jan. 6 after the New Year. The Devils and Islanders wrap up on Feb. 5 back in Newark.

Hughes Spotted With Famous Pop Star In City

On the day off, Hughes was spotted with famous pop star Tate McRae in New York City doing some holiday shopping. They looked pretty cozy together.

It was a month ago that the rumors circulated that Hughes and McRae were an item. They were seen eating out at a restaurant on Nov. 21. The 22-year-old pop singer is from Calgary and a big hockey fan. She was seen taking in a Flames game last season. McRae was previously linked to rap star The Kid Laroi before they mutually agreed to split up in July.

Not surprisingly, McRae was seated at Sunday’s Devils game to take in her new boyfriend in his first game back. He didn’t disappoint.

Regardless of what he’s doing off the ice, Hughes must continue to deliver on it for the Devils. They were lost without him. We’ll see if he can lead them to a third consecutive postseason where they still have higher aspirations. In a wide open East where nothing is certain, anything is possible. You can be that Hughes will be the headliner if they’re successful in the new calendar year.