Jack Hughes produced his third career hat trick Tuesday night, leading the visiting New Jersey Devils to a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hughes flicked his third goal into an empty net at 19:30 of the third period to seal the fifth win in a row for the Devils and the second straight loss for the Maple Leafs (0-1-1).
Cody Glass and Brenden Dillon also scored for the Devils, and Jesper Bratt supplied three assists. Jake Allen stopped 23 shots.
John Tavares had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs. Matias Maccelli added a goal while William Nylander contributed two assists. Anthony Stolarz made 30 saves.
Tavares rammed in the rebound from Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s point shot to open the scoring at 6:36 of the first. Tavares’ 498th career goal came 1:15 after Hughes rang the left goal post with a wrist shot.
Hughes tied the game with a shot from the high slot at 1:27 of the second.
Toronto challenged unsuccessfully — claiming goaltender Interference — and that resulted in a minor penalty. Glass scored with a 9-foot wrist shot on the power play at 3:20 of the second. Earlier in the power play, Toronto defenseman Chris Tanev went to the dressing room after sustaining an upper-body injury during a pileup near the net. He did not return.
New Jersey took a 3-1 lead on Dillon’s 31-foot wrister at 4:54 of the second after a Toronto turnover resulted in a 3-on-1 break.
Toronto pulled within 3-2 at 7:03 of the second when Maccelli was unchecked in front of the net and Nylander fed him to finish a 2-on-1 rush.
Hughes restored the two-goal lead at 16:17 of the second after Bratt’s stretch pass put him in the clear for a slap shot.
The Devils continued to control play in the third.
The Maple Leafs got a lifeline when they went on the power play at 15:44 of the third. Toronto had two shots on the power play but failed to take advantage when Allen lost his stick.
Allen made a superb blocker stop on Morgan Rielly in the final minute.
Toronto’s top rookie, Easton Cowan, was a healthy scratch.
–Field Level Media
