Whenever NFL quarterbacks and brothers Peyton Manning and Eli Manning would see their respective teams face each other it was christened the “Manning Bowl”.
The NHL gets their version whenever the Hughes brothers face off in games between Jack and Luke’s New Jersey Devils and Quinn’s Vancouver Canucks.
Jack and Quinn had faced off against each other many times over the past few seasons Tuesday's game was the first time rookie defenseman Luke was added to the mix. Yes, parents Jim and Ellen were in attendance but without their combination “Devils and Canucks” shirts this time.
This game featured two teams on opposite ends of preseason expectations. Although the Devils have a respectable record, the preseason cup contenders currently find themselves out of a playoff spot largely due to injuries and subpar goaltending.
The Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils played a very good game
After a few tumultuous years, the Canucks appear to have turned the corner finally and are in third place in a loaded Western Conference. If Vancouver makes the playoffs, it would be their first trip in a non-shortened (they made the conference semifinal in the 2020 bubble) season since 2015.
Fans didn’t have to wait long for the game to have plenty of action. Six goals were scored in the first period when New Jersey headed to the locker room leading by a score of 4-2.
The Devils were leading 4-1 until Dakota Joshua added a little last-minute scoring action to excite the Rodgers Center crowd.
The only second period goal came from Luke Hughes, his first tally against his oldest brother’s team.
Things got hectic in the third period as Vancouver erased that three-goal deficit to tie the score, temporarily stunning the Devils.
Luckily for New Jersey, one of their non-Hughes players scored the game-winner when Jesper Bratt scored his second of the night with under a minute remaining.
Both teams are currently in the top five for goals per game in the NHL, and both finished well over a goal over their season averages (Vancouver is in first with 3.88 goals per game and New Jersey is fourth with 3.70 goals per game).
It was New Jersey’s second last minute victory in as many weeks. New Jersey had scored the go-ahead goal against the New York Islanders in the last minute of regulation exactly a week before the team took on Vancouver.
All three Hughes brothers found themselves on the scoresheet. Quinn was held off until the Canucks third-period comeback and finished the night with a primary and secondary assist for two points. He was the only brother to finish without a goal. Luke finished with his one goal from the second period.
The night’s first star, and rightfully so, was Jack. His three-point night came courtesy of a goal and two assists, including the only assist on his brother Luke’s second-period tally.
The rookie defenseman and scoring superstar sibling combo have flashed their chemistry recently, including last week's beauty of an overtime winner against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Jack must circle the dates whenever he plays the Canucks because that’s where he does some of his best work. In seven career games versus his brother Quinn’s squad, Jack has seven goals and six assists for thirteen points.
Jack hasn’t been held pointless in a Devils vs Canucks game since their November 10, 2019 matchup in Vancouver.
The only other Devils vs Canucks game where Jack didn’t score multiple points was his first-ever game against Quinn where Jack scored his first career goal as the game’s only goal in a 1-0 victory back on October 19th of that same season. The Devils did not play the Canucks at all during the shortened 2020-2021 season.
The first “Hughes Bowl” definitely lived up to the hype, even if we Devils fans had to stay up past their bedtime. Fans of both teams won’t have to wait long to see the re-match. The Canucks will visit the Devils in early January.
The Hockey News noticed last night’s game was “eerily similar” to the last Devils vs Canucks matchup with blown multiple goal leads and a last-minute go-ahead goal. Will their next meeting follow that pattern?