The New Jersey Devils lost to the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night, but one moment from the game stood out more than the game itself.
Sean Couturier's high stick hit Luke Hughes, but no call was made. Since the referees missed it and no blood was drawn, the play was not reviewable.
After the game, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke bluntly to the media and Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News.
“Apparently, Luke Hughes’ fat lip isn’t enough,” Keefe said. “Hockey is weird sometimes.”
Keefe noted that while the referee missed the high stick, a linesman saw it. The referees called no penalty. Hughes left for the locker room. Hughes later returned, but the Devils trailed 4-2 entering the final period. The Flyers scored three in the second, and the Devils couldn't catch up.
The Devils struggled offensively and defensively against Flyers goalie Dan Vladar. The Flyers scored five goals on the Devils.
Afterward, Keefe credited Markstrom to Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News and the media.
“We would have given up 10 if it wasn’t for him,” Keefe said.
Hughes has one goal and 13 assists in 25 games since re-signing on October 1. He is currently tied for the highest-paid player on the roster, earning $9 million annually.
The 22-year-old, expected to anchor the Devils' blue line, has recently been paired with Simon Nemec.
Defensive pairings for the game on Saturday were Siegenthaler-Hamilton, Hughes-Nemec, and Dillon-White. The Hughes-Nemec pairing has been effective.
Nemec leads Devils defenders in scoring, with six goals and nine assists in 25 games. He is the fifth defenseman in team history to score six goals in a month.
Though not paired all season, Hughes and Nemec have played nearly 110 minutes together and shown strength as two-way players.
Despite the missed call, Hughes logged 22:01 of ice time.
As Keefe said, hockey can be weird sometimes.
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