The New Jersey Devils continued their road trip Thursday night against the Nashville Predators as they looked to keep the positive vibes rolling, having already won eight of 11 after switching to a freer style of play.
On the heels of some dominant play from their stars, they took down the Predators by a score of 4-2. That’s now nine of 12.
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Jack Hughes Living His Best Life
Is anybody living a better life than Jack Hughes right now!? When his name was mentioned over the loudspeaker, the arena broke out into big applause and cheers. That marked the third different location he’d received applause in since his Golden Goal — joining Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
They weren’t cheering anymore, though, when Jack notched the primary assist on Jesper Bratt’s opening goal. That marked Jack’s 10th point in five games.
All rise for Jack Hughes 👀
Incredible celly. pic.twitter.com/9OtBzT8vpI
— NHL (@NHL) March 27, 2026
Since returning from the Olympics, Jack has 23 points in 14 games — a ~135-point pace over a full season. According to Natural Stat Trick, during that span, the Devils have scored 4.83 goals per 60 minutes (GF/60) with him on the ice (at even strength). That ranks ninth among all 127 forwards to play 200+ minutes.
Can’t Have Peanut Butter Without Jelly
But because of all Jack’s success, Bratt has flown under the radar. After scoring just 14 goals in his first 147 shots this season (9.5%) — tonight marked his fifth straight contest with a goal — five goals in the following nine shots (55.5%).
He also added two assists of his own, including connecting with Jack once more, whose shot got tipped by Nico Hischier for the eventual game winner. That brought him to an impressive 12 points in his last seven games. Bratt needs just one more to find twine to mark his fifth consecutive 20+ goal season.
Remember that Jack stat? The Devils have scored 5.36 GF/60 with Bratt on the ice in that span, which leads every other NHL forward besides Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov.
It’s safe to say that peanut butter and jelly are full throttle right now. It’s exciting to watch.
Devils Didn’t Let Missed Call Change Momentum
A little past halfway through the second period, it appeared clear as day that Nashville Predators forward Steven Stamkos held Simon Nemec, forcing Nemec to lose his stick. It went uncalled.
Stamkos then quickly circled around and found himself all alone with the puck on his stick. He made no mistake for his 36th goal of the season. Human error is part of officiating — and frankly, NHL officials don’t get enough praise for handling the intricacies of their job. With that being said, it deserves criticism nonetheless when the guidelines of their job aren’t adhered to successfully. This was certainly one of those moments.
No call there? What?#NJDevils
— JP Gambatese (@jp_gambatese) March 27, 2026
The Devils could have easily let it unravel from there. But they stuck with it, trusted their gameplan and eventually got it done. The pre-Olympic break Devils probaby lose this game; that’s just the reality.
This red-hot stretch goes to show the importance of confidence. When things are going bad, confidence lessens, they grip their sticks a little tighter, and success is harder to come by. That’s how it went for most of the season in between the early eight-game winning streak and the Olympic break.
Now we’re seeing the inverse; once the goals start coming, belief settles back in. Of course, returning to a freer style of play, which suits their roster much better, also plays a big role. Since the switch became noticeable on Feb. 28, the Devils’ 3.95 goals per game ranks second in the entire league, trailing only the Buffalo Sabres.
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 37-32-2 — will return to action on Saturday evening as they continue their road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes (5:00 PM EDT).
