NEWARK, N.J. — Jack Hughes sent his stick flying into the crowd Thursday night, a fitting celebration after the New Jersey Devils opened the 2026-27 season with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers before a crowd of 16,539 at Prudential Center.
With 1:37 remaining in overtime, Hughes finished off a give-and-go with Jesper Bratt, beating Philadelphia goaltender Joseph Woll to secure the Devils' first two points of the season.
As the building erupted, Hughes tossed his stick into the stands.
“It has been a long time,” Hughes said of the toss. “Fun to do that again.”
The Flyers struck first at 11:12 of the opening period during a delayed penalty. Rasmus Ristolainen redirected Travis Sanheim's shot from the blue line past New Jersey goaltender Jake Allen for his first goal of the season.
The Devils answered late in the second.
Dougie Hamilton's shot found the back of the net with Anthony Mantha providing a screen in front of Woll. It was Hamilton's first goal of the season and the 58th of his career with New Jersey, tying him with Damon Severson for the fourth-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history.
“That doesn't go in if there's no one in front,” Hamilton said.
Sanheim restored Philadelphia's lead five minutes into the third period, collecting his second point of the night.
The Devils responded again, with Luke Hughes tying the game on a pass from Luke Evangelista. It was the latter’s first point as a Devil.
“Guys stayed with it. We knew we were playing well and controlling play,” Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We have to find ways to score obviously. They're defending hard. They blocked a lot. We have to find ways to score.”
The breakthrough finally came in overtime.
Hughes and Bratt worked the puck through the offensive zone before Bratt returned it to Hughes, who finished into an open net to send the Devils into the win column.
“We’ve done that give-and-go play. Definitely a great handle by him,” Hughes said. “That pass was a bit of a grenade that I sent his way. Great handle, back to me, empty net. We’ve been doing that for years and I look forward to doing it a lot more years with him.”
The game also marked the long-awaited NHL debut of forward Amadeus Lombardi, whom the Devils acquired in a June 25, 2026, trade. The 23-year-old played a little more than eight minutes in his debut.
New Jersey now turns its attention to the New York Islanders, with the Devils set to play their second game of the season Saturday, Oct. 3.
New Jersey Lineup
Mantha — Hughes — Bratt
Meier — Hischier — Evangelista
Gritsyuk — Rodrigues — Mercer
Lombardi — Glass — Noesen
Hughes — Pesce
Siegenthaler — Hamilton
Dillon — Chisholm
Allen
Daws
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