OPINION: Devils Had Correct Response To Pacioretty Hit On Hughes

After the New Jersey Devils‘ 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, head coach Sheldon Keefe was asked about one of the 22 hits the Maple Leafs were credited with Tuesday night.

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This specific hit occurred late in the second period and captured attention because the player on the receiving end was New Jersey’s star forward, Jack Hughes.

With a neutral expression, Keefe responded, “Not even a factor in the game. I forgot it even happened.”

Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty (6′2″, 217 pounds) legally hit Hughes (5′11″, 175 pounds) with 1:16 remaining in the second period. The contact resulted in both players landing on their stomachs on the ice.

Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton skated towards Pacioretty, dropped his stick, and grabbed the forward by the back of the jersey. As Hughes got back to his skates, Brenden Dillon also skated toward Pacioretty.

With referee Mitch Dunning and linesman Jonny Murray in the mix, the whistle blew, players separated, and no penalty was called on the play.

To the dismay of some, they did not witness any form of retaliation after the hit on Hughes, but there are some factors to keep in mind.

The first is that Dillon, who has three fighting majors this season, could have asked Pacioretty to drop the gloves. It could have been an instance where Dillon was willing to defend his teammate, and his opponent declined. The 34-year-old was not interviewed post-game.

In keeping with this scenario, if Pacioretty or any other Maple Leaf declined, the Devils made the right decision not to engage further.

To that point, Toronto’s goaltender, Anthony Stolarz, made 26 saves on 27 shots. The Devils had a 1-0 lead and it would have been ill-advised to lose a defenseman or give their opponent momentum by beginning the third period on a power play due to a legal hit.

Toronto’s power play was 0-for-3 Tuesday night, but with William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares, the risk outweighed the reward for New Jersey in that moment of the game.

Hughes took the hit, returned to his skates, and did not miss a shift for the remainder of the game.

The Devils outplayed Toronto in nearly every facet of the game but ran into a goaltender whose performance became the game’s storyline.

There is a time and place to retaliate, and the players in the locker room understand that. Devils players have previously spoken about the positive impact physical play can have in a game and how it has the ability to change momentum. However, they also know physical contact is part of the game, and some incidents are “a hockey hit.”

Players need to consider risk and reward on the ice. The two points against the Maple Leafs were more critical to obtain than retribution for a legal hit on a player who completed the game.

Keefe was correct when he said the hit was not a factor in the game. If anything gave Toronto energy and momentum, it was the performance of the 6-foot-6, 243-pound goaltender, who played one of his best games of the 2024-25 season.

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