3 takeaways from the Devils’ 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs – Hockey Writer – New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils head to Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night looking for their fifth straight win. They picked up two wins at home last week, beating the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. In the end, the Devils won again with a score of 5-2. A road win over the Maple Leafs.

Jack Hughes’ heater continues hat-trick

It’s official – Jack Hughes is back and better than ever. The Devils superstar has been unstoppable of late with five goals in his past two games. He tied the game at one early in the second period (the Leafs tried and failed to challenge goaltender interference) and was just the spark New Jersey was looking for.

Just 15 minutes later, he scored his second goal of the night. He advanced past Morgan Rielly on a cross-ice pass from Jesper Bratt to extend the Devils’ lead to 4-2. But Hughes wasn’t done yet. He sealed the deal with an empty-net goal at the end of the third period for his first hat trick of the season.

RELATED: Jack Hughes hat trick leads Devils to 5-2 win over Maple Leafs

Hughes continued to set new highs against the Maple Leafs by taking 12 shots and hitting 6 of them. His leadership skills remain invaluable and his agility makes him difficult to deal with.

Speaking to the media after the game, he expressed optimism about the team’s early success. “It’s fun when you can get on a really good winning streak and that’s what we want to do, not just now but all year long. Five games is a good start for us,” Hughes said.

Depth score shines

What sets the Devils apart from previous seasons is at last There is depth scoring. While it’s great to have players like Hughes and Blatt lighting up the game night after night, it’s also important for the team to establish sustainable scoring early on. That’s exactly what happened against the Maple Leafs.

Two minutes after Hughes tied the game, Cody Glass scored on a power-play goal early in the second period. But there’s also been a pleasant surprise, and that’s thanks to the Devils’ blueline. Brenden Dillon scored his first goal of the season in a great 4-on-1, with assists from Luke Glendening and Arseni Gritsyuk.

Their secondary scoring will be crucial to start the season, especially with the team facing a host of injuries. In the absence of key players such as Jacob Markstrom, Stefan Noesen and Jonathan Kovacevic, many players have stepped up offensively, with depth leading the way. Overall, the Devils benefit from a solid offense, which has been one of the main aspects of their success thus far.

Special forces continue to dominate

The Devils’ special teams have really produced results early in the season, and Tuesday night was no exception. They faced a short-handed test after conceding a goal early in the first quarter. Dawson Mercer took a harsh penalty, but their kill fought back and limited the Maple Leafs to just one shot on goal to keep the score at 1-0. All in all, the Devils went two-on-two shorthanded and got another crucial penalty kill late in the third quarter. This gives them a success rate of 95.5%, which puts them third in the league in kill rate.

The Devils scored a whopping four goals in the second period, but it was the power play that gave them their first lead of the night. Glass created a rebound opportunity on Timo Meier’s first shot, shooting past Anthony Stolarz.

Operation: Turn on the lamp.#NJDevils | @Mikes_Amazing pic.twitter.com/A1nqw3WWXw

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 22, 2025

In just six games, the Devils have certainly found their groove and run like a well-oiled machine. They possess an elite combination of skill, speed and accuracy, whether limiting their opponents’ scoring opportunities when shorthanded or finding space in front of the net on the power play. Special teams are critical to the Devils’ strong start to the 2025-26 season, so they must build on that foundation.

Devil’s schedule looks to the future

The Devils return to action tonight to wrap up the second half of a back-to-back at home. They will face the Minnesota Wild at 7:00 p.m. ET.