New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes had a rough night at Prudential Center on Sunday, as he was loudly booed by the home crowd after scoring two own goals in the first period in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The mistakes added to the frustration of a fan base watching the Devils fall to sixth position in the Metropolitan Division.
Hughes tried to clear a rebound after a point shot and accidentally swept the puck past his own goaltender, Jake Allen, giving Carolina an early lead. Hughes grabbed his helmet in disbelief as boos rang out from the stands. Dawson Mercer tied the game, but the relief was short-lived. Later, Hughes lost the puck in the crease when Taylor Hall poked it off his stick, and it deflected into the net for Carolina’s second goal.
From that point on, the crowd turned on Hughes. He was booed every time he touched the puck, including several times during the second period and even on the Devils' power plays. Huges took it in stride, though.
“It is what it is. It's part of sports,” Hughes said following the game, per NHL.com. “Obviously, I made a couple mistakes today, and I gotta be better, and it is what it is.”
“The first one, I honestly don't really know what happened, but it just came off my stick funny and went in the net, and then the second one, trying to make a play. Just got a lucky stick on it. So, I've made those plays millions of times, and today, it just didn't go my way, so.”
Carolina added an insurance goal later in the game after another Devils turnover behind the net. New Jersey pushed in the third period but could not break through. Hughes continued to log heavy minutes and was not benched, though his mistakes stood out in a season that has already been difficult following his contract standoff that carries a $9 million average annual value.
On the other hand, Hughes’ teammates rallied around him. They offered him support and encouraged him as he worked through a difficult night.
“We stand behind him. I mean, it's a game of mistakes. Mistakes happen,” captain Nico Hischier said. “He's obviously not happy about his game, but there's more to come. He's gonna learn from that, and I know he will, and we're here to support him, and that's what good teams do.
“I understand the frustration (of the fans), but I think Luke is the first guy that takes accountability in that. And I know he'll be better in the next game, and we support him with that.”
“I'm a goalie. I'm the one that always gets the bad end of the stick when I make mistakes,” Allen said. “I've made so many mistakes to count. I've had fans boo me. I've had this and that, which, listen, I don't think he deserves. He's a kid that made two mistakes in a hockey game. Whoever doesn't make mistakes, I'd love to meet you, you know? But, it's a tough situation for him. In a game like that, probably something he's never felt before.”
The Devils dropped to 22-18-2 and now sit eight points behind the Hurricanes in the division standings. Head coach Sheldon Keefe was disappointed at the reaction from the fans to Hughes' errors. The moment seemed to have echoed past instances of fan anger directed at former Devils stars.
“It's disappointing that that was the reaction that we had in the building for the youngest player on the ice,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said, “but he'll give them lots of reasons to cheer in the future.”
Despite the rough stretch, the 22-year-old remains an important part of the team’s long-term plans. While pressure grows for the group to find answers and turn its season around, they must respond quickly to avoid falling further behind in the standings. The Devils will travel to Long Island for their next game to face the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
