NEWARK, N.J. -- Jack Hughes says he can sense the frustration, but deep down, the New Jersey Devils center said he knows it’s just a matter of time before he and the Devils rediscover the offensive formula that had them clicking on all cylinders earlier this season.
On one hand, New Jersey (26-17-6) is in third place in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes. On the other, the Devils have lost four straight (0-2-2), are 2-6-3 in their past 11 games and have been held to 20 goals in that span.
Hughes, who leads New Jersey with 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 49 games this season, has nine points (three goals, six assists) during this 11-game stretch.
“It’s frustrating but I think I've had some games where I've been able to have success, and then some where I've been closed off,” the 23-year-old said. “That's just the way the league goes … you get hot, you get cold, and it’s just an ongoing cycle. I don't think I'm in a bad spot right now, but definitely, as a team, we'd like to start scoring more. It's hard to win when you're only scoring one or two goals a game.
“If you look at our forwards, we've never had a problem scoring before in the past so it’s just something we have to get through and figure a way out of.”
The Devils hope to begin a turnaround when they host the Boston Bruins at Prudential Center on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NHLN, NESN, TVAS-D).
New Jersey's slide began following a 4-2 home victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 27. Starting with a 5-2 loss at the Hurricanes the next day, through a 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, the Devils have averaged 1.82 goals and 26.2 shots per game. Prior to that, in its first 38 games this season, New Jersey was 24-11-3, averaging 3.37 goals and 30.2 shots.
The frustration is not only evident with the players, but the coaching staff as well. New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe even stopped the morning skate on Wednesday and got very vocal with his group.
“He reminded us that we got to get back on track,” Hughes said. “We haven't not liked our game but we just haven't had great performances that have sort of pushed us over the edge to get us a win. He told us kind of what we need to get out of this funk and start to play some really good hockey again.”
Hughes will center two new linemates against the Bruins. Paul Cotter will move up to left wing with forward Ondrej Palat out because of an illness, and Nathan Bastian, who has been one of the more consistent forwards in recent games, will play right wing.
“They're going to be physical, and they're going to skate,” Hughes said. “[Bastian] has been playing some great hockey and Cotter has been playing well of late, too, so we'll see how it goes. We all need to get on the same page and get on the same page early. Then we’ll see where our game goes.”
Hughes knows there’s still plenty of hockey to be played. He said the Devils aren't thinking Stanley Cup Playoffs; rather, what they need to do to once again become consistently strong at both ends of the ice.
“It’s just about getting out of this funk that we’re in,” Hughes said. “We were in a really good place before Christmas and we've just got to find a way to get back to playing really good hockey. I mean, you'd rather be in a rut in January than in March or April, so tonight's a good opportunity for us to put this behind us and make some strides as a group.
“Tonight’s our 50th game and I think we’re in a good spot 50 games in. We've just got to find our game again and get back to it.”
