NHL · Oct 22, 2026
New Jersey Devils beat Anaheim Ducks 4–1 with Hughes' late empty-net goal
By Row Seventeen ·
New Jersey Devils beat Anaheim Ducks 4–1 (NHL) on October 22, 2026.
The New Jersey Devils beat the Anaheim Ducks 4–1 in regulation in NHL play on October 22, 2026, with Anthony Mantha restoring their two-goal lead.
1–4FINAL
Key moments
Sources ↓- Opening
Arseny Gritsyuk opened the scoring at 4:38 of the first period, redirecting Jesper Bratt’s pass near the crease.
Read in context ↘ - Middle stages
Neither team scored in the second period.
Read in context ↘ - Closing stages
Hughes’ goal came at 19:53 of the third.
Read in context ↘
Gritsyuk and Hischier build the lead
Arseny Gritsyuk opened the scoring at 4:38 of the first period, redirecting Jesper Bratt’s pass near the crease. Jack Hughes started the sequence by moving toward the middle and passing across to Bratt in the right circle.
Alex Killorn’s late tripping penalty gave New Jersey a power play. Nico Hischier swept in a rebound with 41 seconds before intermission for a two-goal lead. The Devils outshot Anaheim 11–2 in the opening period.
A scoreless second
Neither team scored in the second period.
During that scoreless middle period, Brett Pesce took a crosschecking penalty, but New Jersey allowed just one shot during Anaheim’s ensuing power play. In the same period, another potential Ducks opportunity disappeared after review: a high-sticking double minor against Evan Rodrigues was rescinded because the contact came on a follow-through while playing the puck.
Washe scores, Mantha answers
Tim Washe tipped Jackson LaCombe’s left-point shot into the net at 8:20 of the third. Anthony Mantha answered at 13:27, pushing a rebound between Ville Husso’s pads to restore the two-goal advantage.
Pesce supplied the point shot before Mantha’s goal, sending the puck toward the screened Husso. Mantha pursued the loose puck to finish the sequence.
Hughes finishes into the empty net
Anaheim pulled Husso with more than four and a half minutes remaining, then returned him after a Ducks high-sticking penalty. With Husso back in goal, he stopped two close Connor Brown chances on the subsequent Devils power play. With Anaheim’s net empty again, Hughes stripped the puck near the blue line and scored a backhander.
Hughes’ goal came at 19:53 of the third.
Based on the match coverage and records linked below. Core match facts were checked against the linked source pages. This is an original, AI-assisted recap.
- NHL.com official recap
- Field Level Media match report
- All About The Jersey signed match report by Chris Fieldhouse
- Download the supporting facts and attribution
Published 2026-10-24. Game date shown above.
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