Even without their offensive star Jack Hughes, the New Jersey Devils want to maintain their place among the elite of the National Hockey League (NHL), regardless of the exact length of the star player’s absence.
He fell into action when he hit the boards in Friday’s game against the St. Louis Blues and he will miss at least a week of playing time. However, his teammates refuse to be defeated: in fact, they let the Chicago Blackhawks know: whom they beat 4-2 on Sunday.
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Now head coach Lindy Ruff’s men don’t need any detailed explanations. They will have to put in the best effort and rely on joint work to compensate for the loss of the American, not to mention that of Nico Hischier, who also has an upper body injury and has been sidelined since October 27th. There is no room for relaxation in a metropolitan group that includes the New York Rangers with 17 points, the Carolina Hurricanes (14) and the Devils (15).
“We know it, we’ve discussed it before. “The other guys have to put in the work and to see them help make a difference is huge,” forward Curtis Lazar said on the website NHL.com. Obviously they’re big plays, but you can see we’re providing offense with simple hockey. We fight for pucks, we win face-offs and show up in difficult situations. This is what we need.”
“As long as we work, the results will come, but because of the adversity that comes with names outside our training, it is a big challenge for us,” he added. It’s nice to see this response, the boys are accepting the mission.”
Increased responsibility
Among the hockey players who needed to raise their level of play, Dawson Mercer, a former major league junior league player from Quebec, was the first player and performed well with a goal. If he believes he has the resources to help the club at this crucial time, he looks forward to seeing Hughes and Hischier leave the infirmary.
“Both are fantastic players for us,” he said. They control the game so well and when the disc is on their stick, good things happen. These are key elements. It’s good that we got this win, but of course it would be better to see them back in the team when they can play.”
Meanwhile, the Devils will visit the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.