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The New Jersey Devils got the better of the Vancouver Canucks in the first-ever triple Hughes Bowl on Tuesday night, with brothers Jack and Luke leading their team to a 6-5 victory over Quinn's club.
All three Hughes brothers were noticeable — on the ice and on the score sheet — and Jack Hughes shared high praise for his brethren after the thrilling win.
“I thought both Luke and Quinn played really well, a lot of fun to play with them,” Jack explained afterwards, according to team reporter Amanda Stein.
All three brothers got onto the scoresheet in front of their parents at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Jack scored New Jersey's third goal of the game, and added two assists in the win. One of those apples was on a Luke powerplay snipe in the second period.
Luke Hughes power-play goal!#ProBluepic.twitter.com/jo8ewFcidO
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) December 6, 2023
Quinn wasn't to be outdone on the other end of the rink; the oldest Hughes brother added two helpers of his own over 26:43 time on ice.
“The Hughes' became the second American family to have at least three brothers appear in the same NHL game, joining Neal, Paul and Aaron Broten, who did it when the Minnesota North Stars (Neal, Aaron) played against the New York Rangers (Paul) on Feb. 4, 1990, and March 10, 1990,” wrote NHL.com's Kevin Woodley on Wednesday.
Canucks comeback falls short
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The Devils started briskly, scoring four goals in the first period and carrying a 5-2 lead into the third period. But Vancouver clawed back, getting goals from Brock Boeser, Sam Lafferty and Nils Hoglander over a nine-minute stretch to tie the game.
Jesper Bratt ultimately spoiled the comeback, breaking fans' hearts in BC with a go-ahead tally with just 34 seconds left in regulation.
“I was trying to get a little lost there, and I know late in a game things happen and people start drifting away,” Bratt reflected. “I think Vancouver had two of those where you just sift pucks to the net and someone on the back side is ready to tap it in, and just happy to be a contributor to our team tonight.”
Despite another excellent individual performance, Quinn Hughes was not at all happy with how the game ended.
“We felt confident the whole game that we were going to have chances to tie it up,” he explained. “We can't hang our hat on that. We have to find a way to get that one to [overtime]. It's terrible to lose a game like that.”
Still, it was a fantastic contest from start to finish, and not just because the Hughes trio looked superb. The three brothers will go at it again early in the New Year, with Vancouver set to visit Newark, NJ on Jan. 6.
