The New Jersey Devils will see their teammate, Jack Hughes, compete for a gold medal on Sunday morning, as Team USA earned a 6-2 victory over Slovakia in the Olympic semifinals on Friday.
Hughes began the game on the team’s third line with Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres’ forward Tage Thompson, after beginning the tournament with New York Rangers' captain JT Miller and Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche.
Larkin gave Team USA an early lead, scoring at the 4:19 mark of the opening frame with an even-strength goal assisted by Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Thompson. In the final minute of the first period, Thompson scored on the power play to give his team a 2-0 lead entering the first intermission.
Jack Hughes extended the USA’s lead to 3-0 in the second period with Werenski collecting the lone assist. A mere 19 seconds later, Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel scored, forcing Slovakia to make a goaltending change.
The Devils' franchise player scored his second goal of the game in the final minutes of the middle frame. Werenski once again earned the primary assist while Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild was credited with the secondary.
"Jack is a big-time player,” Devils' forward Paul Cotter told The Hockey News. “I think one of his assets is that he is able to slow the game down. In a game like that, the lights are bright, pressure is on, and that is where his game takes over. He is able to slow it down and be able to make a play."
With 15 minutes remaining in regulation, Juraj Slafkovský of the Montreal Canadiens scored Slovakia's first goal, beating USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for a 5-1 score. Minutes later, on a breakaway, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk extended the USA’s lead, but minutes later Pavol Regenda scored for Slovakia for a 6-2 score.
After 60 minutes, “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd echoed throughout the arena as Hughes and his teammates celebrated another Team USA victory.
© Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesHughes has performed very well at the Olympics, recording six points (three goals, three assists) in five games. He has quieted his critics, as he has been one of the USA’s best skaters throughout the tournament.
"I'm not surprised at all (by his play),” Cotter continued. “Happy for him."
The USA will face Canada for gold on Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET. Devils defenseman Simon Nemec and Slovakia will face Finland on Saturday to compete for bronze.
“I mean, they have everything it takes,” Cotter said of Team USA. “They have skills, strength, and tenacity. They have everything. I have played with a lot of those guys throughout (my time) here, in Vegas with the Golden Knights, and just random stuff along the way. I have a lot of friends on that team, and I hope they bring back some hardware.”
Hardware has officially been secured. Now, it is just a matter of which medal Hughes and his Team USA teammates will bring home.
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