Devils News: Luke Hughes made a play that had him looking like Cale Makar

The New Jersey Devils took on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night. It was the first game back from the holiday break and they needed a big win. They got it. 

It wasn’t easy for New Jersey. They never had a lead in the game but Timo Meier scored the overtime winner to give them the win anyway. They are significantly more talented than the Jackets but Columbus put on a good show in Newark. 

During regulation, New Jersey went down 3-2 late in the third period. It looked like they were going to suffer another gut-wrenching loss to a bottom feeder. That was until Luke Hughes made a spectacular play to tie it up once again. 

The youngest Hughes brother took the puck from brother Jack Hughes and went coast to coast for the goal. It looked like the type of goal that Cale Makar would score. 

The New Jersey Devils love seeing Luke Hughes imitate Cale Makar.

Makar is the best defenseman in the NHL right now because he can do things like this regularly. Hughes isn’t quite on his level but he will be elite one day as well. 

He is only 19 years old and he already has the skills/confidence to attempt a play like this. He had to weave through five Blue Jackets defenders before beating the goaltender with his shot. He found a way to do it and it was spectacular. 

This is the type of goal that you see everywhere for a while. People are going to talk about this one for a while. It is about as pretty of a goal as a defenseman can score in the NHL. Going coast to coast for a snipe is as legit as it gets.

This was Luke’s fifth goal of the season. He should break the 10-goal plateau which is phenomenal for a teenage defenseman. He is the QB on power play unit one already and he does a great job. 

There are a lot of mistakes made by Hughes still but that is all a part of his development. He is a star in the making in every way. Don’t be surprised if he is a tick below Cale Makar in the future. 

A lot of offensive talent is there in New Jersey to help him reach that ceiling. He may not win the Calder Trophy because of Connor Bedard but he will get votes. This Cale Makar-looking goal will be at the forefront of his rookie-year highlight package.