{"id":492215,"date":"2026-03-08T00:53:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T00:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/492215\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T00:53:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T00:53:27","slug":"jack-hughes-hat-trick-powers-new-jersey-devils-to-6-3-victory-over-rival-new-york-rangers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/492215\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Hughes’ Hat Trick Powers New Jersey Devils to 6-3 Victory Over Rival New York Rangers"},"content":{"rendered":"

AVANDATIMES.COM \u2013 Jack Hughes<\/a> delivered a spectacular performance on Saturday, March 7, 2026, recording a hat trick and an assist to lead the New Jersey Devils<\/a> to a decisive 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers<\/a>. The win, secured on home ice in Newark, marked the Devils\u2019 fourth consecutive triumph.<\/p>\n

The game remained tightly contested through much of the second period before the Devils pulled away. Nico Hischier netted the crucial go-ahead goal, a power-play marker at 8:05 of the third period, which stood as his team-leading 21st goal of the season. Following Hischier\u2019s strike, Hughes sealed the Devils\u2019 dominance with two additional goals, including one into an empty net, completing his fourth career hat trick.<\/p>\n

Devils\u2019 Offensive Outburst and Key Contributions<\/p>\n

Beyond Hughes\u2019 heroics, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer also contributed to the Devils\u2019 scoring. Bratt opened the scoring just 1:06 into the contest, beating Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick for his 14th goal. Mercer later tied the game on a power play at 19:47 of the first period, marking his 200th career point.<\/p>\n

Hughes\u2019 first goal of the night, a power-play effort at 15:52 of the second period, put New Jersey ahead 3-2. This goal was particularly notable as it was his first since scoring the gold medal-winning goal for Team USA at the Winter Olympics on February 22. His second goal came on a breakaway at 16:56 of the third period, followed by the empty-netter that completed his hat trick, much to the delight of the home crowd who chanted \u201cUSA, USA!\u201d<\/p>\n

Assists were also plentiful for the Devils, with Bratt and Connor Brown each tallying two. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 17 saves to secure the win for New Jersey, who are now nine points out of a playoff spot, as AvandaTimes observed that their recent winning streak is crucial for their postseason aspirations.<\/p>\n

Rangers\u2019 Struggles Continue<\/p>\n

For the New York Rangers, goals came from Will Borgen, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Will Cuylle. Borgen tied the game at 6:26 of the first period, converting a pass from Vincent Trocheck, who remained with the Rangers despite weeks of trade rumors leading up to Friday\u2019s deadline. Gavrikov then put New York ahead at 8:36 of the first, and Cuylle tied the contest for the third time at 16:53 of the second period.<\/p>\n

Despite Quick making 29 saves, the Rangers, currently in last place, could not overcome the Devils\u2019 offensive surge. New York\u2019s struggles have been pronounced, with a record of 4-12-3 since winning the Winter Classic on January 2. This loss followed a 6-2 home victory over Toronto on Thursday, indicating an inconsistent run for the team.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Schedule<\/p>\n

The New Jersey Devils are set to host Detroit on Sunday, looking to extend their winning streak. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers will travel to Philadelphia on Monday for their next matchup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AVANDATIMES.COM \u2013 Jack Hughes delivered a spectacular performance on Saturday, March 7, 2026, recording a hat trick and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488401,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5109],"tags":[201,5,6,1272,576,151,35,5185,5184,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-492215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-jersey-devils","8":"tag-devils","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-ice-hockey","11":"tag-jack-hughes","12":"tag-new-jersey","13":"tag-new-jersey-devils","14":"tag-new-york-rangers","15":"tag-newjersey","16":"tag-newjerseydevils","17":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116190826157903947","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}