Devils score win in Hughes’ return to ice
All-Star Jack Hughes had a goal and an assist for his first points since being injured in early January, Nico Daws made 27 saves and the suddenly defensive-minded New Jersey Devils beat visiting Seattle, 3-1, on Monday night, handing the Kraken their thirdstraight loss.
Tyler Toffoli and Dawson Mercer also scored for New Jersey, which swept the twogame season series with Seattle. The Devils have allowed one regulation goal in the last two games, losing to Carolina, 1-0, on Saturday.
Defenseman Will Borgen scored halfway through the third period to deny Daws his first career shutout and the Devils’ first of the season. Joey Daccord kept the Kraken in the game, making 34 saves.
Leading 1-0 entering the second period, Hughes and Mercer scored in the opening five minutes of the second period to give New Jersey a cushion the rest of the way.
Hughes, who sustained an upper-body injury on Jan. 5 against Chicago and missed 11 games, banked a bad-angle shot off the facemask of Daccord for a 2-0 lead at 48 seconds. Erik Haula set up the shot with a steal off the stick of Matty Beniers as he staked out of his own end.
Other games
Flyers 5, Coyotes 3: Travis Konecny had a goal and two assists, Scott Laughton added a goal and an assist and host Philadelphia beat Arizona for its fourth straight win.
Morgan Frost, Jamie Drysdale and Owen Tippett also scored for the Flyers. Philadelphia, third in the Metropolitan Division, entered the break on a five-game losing streak. Sam Ersson made 20 saves.
Rangers 2, Flames 0: Igor Shesterkin stopped 30 shots for his first shutout of the season and New York beat visiting Calgary for its fifth straight win. Will Cuylle and Jimmy Vesey scored for the Rangers, who are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Shesterkin got his 12th career shutout and second straight win to improve to 2112-1 on the season.
Notes
San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl is likely sidelined for several weeks after undergoing knee surgery. The team announced that Hertl decided to have a procedure to clean out loose cartilage in his left knee. General manager Mike Grier said the exact timeline for Hertl’s absence is undetermined.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs are bracing to play their next several games without top defenseman Morgan Rielly, who could be facing a lengthy suspension. He has an in-person hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety scheduled for Tuesday in New York. An in-person hearing allows the league to suspend Rielly for six or more games.