– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — Though surely unplanned, Jack Hughes treated the New Jersey Devils and their fans to a facsimile of one of the most iconic moments in American hockey history to open the new season.
Hughes, forever known as the Golden Boy who delivered the Olympic-winning goal to the United States in last winter’s Olympics, scored another overtime goal to start the new campaign domestically, lifting the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers inside the Prudential Center on Thursday evening.
The goal completed a comeback victory, as New Jersey was down a goal twice and, despite outshooting the Flyers 44-25, did not have the lead at any point in the game until Hughes’ winner 3:23 into the extra session.
It was Jack’s brother, defenseman Luke Hughes, who scored the game-tying goal on a snap shot from the point with 10:16 remaining in the third period that evened the score.
Despite the confidence that New Jersey enters the new season with, meeting any and all goals depends on Jack Hughes’ health, especially given that last season’s disappointment of missing the playoffs mainly centered around Jack’s hand injury early in the season when the Devils played their best hockey of the season — and that New Jersey, in Hughes’ last injury-free season in 2023, posted 112 points and a playoff series victory against the Rangers. (The Devils also made the playoffs in 2025 after Hughes played in 62 regular-season games, the same number he participated in last season after coming back from injury.)
Hughes was at the end of his shift and started the rush in his own end on the game-winning goal, as he and Jesper Bratt beat the Flyers’ defense down the ice before Hughes’ centering pass to Bratt came back to the former, who then beat Joseph Woll in tight to set off the wild celebration.
That celebration included Hughes almost immediately skating towards the boards and throwing his stick into the stands seconds before his teammates mobbed him in the left near corner of the ice.
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