This is part of our Speaking of the Devils newsletter, which is sent to your inbox every Monday morning.

1. I have to start with Jack Hughes, who returned to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 12 on Sunday. It took him just 8:51 to score, too. He played the most among Devils forwards (20.57) and had two shots on goal in 23 shifts.

2. With one goal on Sunday, Hughes now has the same number of goals as Jesper Bratt in his last 21 games. That’s unacceptable from Bratt, who has six goals and 29 points in 36 games. Bratt and Nico Hischier have combined for just six points in their last 10 games.

3. New Jersey’s power play has been abysmal of late, converting at an 8.3% clip in their last 10 games. Surprisingly, that’s not even the worst percentage in the league (Toronto is worse during that stretch with a 7.4% PP%).

4. Hughes clearly didn’t want to talk about the “freak accident” that led to his hand injury. I asked him what exactly happened that night in Chicago. He was mum on the details, just calling it a “freak thing” with no further explanation.

5. He did, however, open up about his brother Quinn getting traded to the Minnesota Wild. “It happened fast. I think he’s happy in Minnesota now. They have a great team there, and they’re playing well. … We’re happy for him,” he said.

Is he disappointed the Devils didn’t land him? “A little bit,” Jack said.

6. Highly recommend you watch Jack’s postgame comments on Sunday. You can watch it in full here. You can really tell how painful it was for him to watch this team slide (8-10-0) without him.

7. Here’s a crazy sentence: NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes and his girlfriend Livvy Dunne, the gymnastics star/influencer, were at the Devils game Sunday, and they were not even the most famous fans in the stands! Pop star Tate McRae — who is rumored to be dating Jack Hughes — was seated in one of the suites (though the Devils never officially announced/publicized that).

8. A nutty stat: Per Devils Insiders, the Devils are one of three teams without a win when trailing after two periods (Boston and Columbus are the other two). That trend continued on Sunday.

9. Catch our YouTube show “Speaking of the Devils” if you haven’t yet. I go live after every game and answer YOUR comments/questions. It’s a blast.

10. The Jonathan Kovacevic situation bears monitoring over the next few weeks. The righty defenseman (knee surgery) will return soon (he skated on Sunday). The Devils can technically squeeze him back without making a major move, but it’ll be very complicated from a salary cap perspective. Is there a trade brewing in Newark? Can general manager Tom Fitzgerald convince one of Dougie Hamilton’s 10 trade-approved teams to take on his steep cap hit?