The New Jersey Devils 2023-24 season hasn't gone the way anyone expected thus far, and after a win over the Seattle Kraken, star Jack Hughes may have zeroed in publicly on the reason why.
Jack Hughes calls out the goaltending play after a big win
During the 3-1 victory, Nico Daws stopped 27 of the 28 shots he saw, and it was this good play that caused Hughes to speak out on the goaltending after the victory.
On the surface, this can be seen as both a compliment for the play on the night, but given their struggles, it's easy to focus in on this comment as a major criticism of the goaltending group.
Jack Hughes offers further clarification on his statement
During the media scrum after the game, Hughes clarified what he meant with his comments on the ice;
Hughes expanded on his goalie thoughts in the scrum:
«Yeah, I think (Daws) played really well. Vitek played really well in Carolina. You get goaltending like that the last two games, it shows the results. He did a really good job tonight and we are happy with how he played.»
Given that this team has combined for a 3.47 GAA and an .893 save percentage, it's easy to see why he's frustrated, because this team could be a Stanley Cup contender with great goaltending.
That is perhaps why the front office is chasing Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames, and if the team can land a top tier starter, they become one of, if not the best team in a stacked Eastern Conference.