Watch out if you're a division rival facing these five NHL players, including two Hughes brothers on the Devils and Canucks. These strong performers are even better in divisional matchups.

Division matchups carry extra importance in the NHL, and some players find another level in these contests.

A few of the NHL's top point-getters are fairly consistent against their opponents in all divisions, such as Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. Then there are a select few who do far better against divisions other than their own, such as New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin and, to a lesser extent, Colorado Avalanche stars Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon.

These players below turn up their performance against division rivals, averaging at least half a point more per game than against teams elsewhere in the NHL. Last season, Tyler Toffoli, Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov were among the skaters who made the list heading into the homestretch of the 2022-23 season – this time around, a couple of brothers are among this year's five to watch at the halfway point.

Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils

Against other divisions: 22 games played, seven goals, 17 assists, 24 points, minus-5

Against own division: 10 games played, eight goals, 13 assists, 21 points, even

Jack Hughes has played fewer games this season than his brothers, teammate Luke Hughes and Vancouver's Quinn Hughes, because of multiple upper-body injuries.

But despite having played 12 fewer games against Metropolitan Division opponents than against the rest of the NHL, Hughes only has three fewer points and has one more goal scored. Some of his big performances include a two-goal, four-point night on Oct. 20 against the New York Islanders, a hat trick in Columbus on Dec. 16 and three-point games against the Philadelphia Flyers, Islanders again and Washington Capitals.

Hughes almost doubles his points-per-game rate against his division than against others, averaging 2.1 versus the Metro compared to 1.09 points per game facing the rest. Let's see how his brother in British Columbia is doing.

Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks

Against other divisions: 31 games played, five goals, 25 assists, 30 points, plus-21

Against own division: 13 games played, six goals, 16 assists, 22 points, plus-12

At one point leading the NHL in scoring this season, Quinn Hughes currently sits 11th with 52 points. He still leads all defensemen in that category, tied with 2021-22 Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar. The Vancouver Canucks are three games past the halfway point of their regular season, but Hughes is about two-thirds of the way to tying his career high from last year.

Hughes has one more goal against his division than against the other three despite having played 18 fewer matches versus the Pacific. If he also produced at a 1.69 point-per-game rate against the Metropolitan, Central and Atlantic Divisions, Hughes could still be in the hunt for the Art Ross Trophy with a hypothetical 74 points.

The Canucks' captain recorded five points when the team pummelled the San Jose Sharks 10-1 on Nov. 2, and he had another four points four days later against the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-2 victory. Hughes also notched three points in the season opener versus Edmonton and a couple of two-point outings against the Sharks. That offsets some zero-point matches he had facing the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks in late November.

Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

Against other divisions: 31 games played, four goals, 20 assists, 24 points, minus-13

Against own division: 11 games played, three goals, 13 assists, 16 points, plus-9

Hedman's statistics stepped back last season when Mikhail Sergachev had a breakout campaign, shifting more power-play ice time from the former to the latter. But Hedman's rebounded this year as the Lightning battle hard to remain a playoff team.

Finishing at 49 points in 76 games in 2022-23, Hedman is already at 40 points in 42 games. The 33-year-old regained his groove, thanks partly to some productive outings against Atlantic Division opponents.

Hedman put up three points against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 6 and the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 14. The Ornskoldsvik, Sweden native also put up two points against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 7 and Dec. 31, as well as the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 4. And while the usefulness of the plus/minus rating continues to be up for debate, having a minus-13 rating against the rest of the NHL and a plus-9 rating against the Atlantic must mean something... right?

Filip Forsberg, LW, Nashville Predators

Against other divisions: 32 games played, 11 goals, 19 assists, 30 points, plus-4

Against own division: 12 games played, 11 goals, seven assists, 18 points, plus-3

Forsberg already passed his point total from last year, when he tallied 42 in 50 games before suffering a concussion off a hit from Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen in February and missing the rest of the campaign.

Staying healthy for Forsberg is the priority right now. Even still, he remains a force for the Predators, leading the team in scoring by 10 points over second-place Ryan O'Reilly. He's scoring almost a goal per game against Central Division opponents, with five of his six multi-goal outings happening versus the Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets.

Tage Thompson, C, Buffalo Sabres

Against other divisions: 22 games played, four goals, seven assists, 11 points, minus-5

Against own division: 12 games played, 10 goals, six assists, 16 points, minus-2

Thompson's points production exploded in 2021-22 with 68 points and again in 2022-23 with 94 points. He missed 10 games so far this season and is only on pace for 57 points, but he could've still challenged for his first 100-point campaign if he played like he did against the Atlantic Division all the time.

The other players on this list have around the same number of goals against their division compared to the rest, but it's not even close for Thompson. The 26-year-old is a scoring machine only when facing his division rivals this season. He scored five times against the Senators across three games, twice on the Canadiens on Jan. 4, twice on the Maple Leafs across two games and once on the Boston Bruins.

Out of every NHL player with more than 25 points this season, Thompson has the highest percentage of his total points coming against his division, at about 59 percent. Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin is second at 55 percent, and Jack Hughes is seventh at 47 percent.

Honorable Mentions

Kyle Connor returned to action on Tuesday after a five-week injury recovery. The Winnipeg Jets left winger has nine goals against the Central Division and another nine against the other three divisions.

Sabres left winger Jeff Skinner has 10 goals and 16 points in 12 games against the Atlantic, just like his teammate Thompson, and he has seven goals and 17 points in 26 games against the rest of the league.

Lightning right winger Nikita Kucherov is tied for first in the NHL in points with 72. He averages 1.53 points against the Metropolitan, Central and Pacific Divisions, which is more than what Forsberg, Hedman and Thompson are averaging against their own divisions. That said, Kucherov deserves credit for averaging almost half a point more per game against the Atlantic, with 23 points in 11 matches.