Luke Hughes grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and immediately felt the ire of the angry Prudential Center crowd. Devils fans booed him — and loudly.
Then they did it again.
And again.
Then seven more times throughout the second period.
That’s what happens when you pot two own goals in a crucial midseason game against the rival Carolina Hurricanes, who sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 51 points.
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Hughes’ first blunder came less than one minute into the game, when he tucked the puck past goaltender Jake Allen on a flubbed clear attempt. Hughes grabbed his helmet in disbelief as the crowd groaned.
Devils forward Dawson Mercer tied the game at 7:34 of the first period, which gave fans hope after such a rough start, but that feeling quickly faded.
A second Hurricanes goal bounced off Hughes’ stick after he tried to cover a speedy Taylor Hall on the forecheck at 7:47 of the second period. Hughes did not miss a shift and was booed by Devils fans 16 times at the time of publication.
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Hughes, 22, has had a disappointing first half of the 2025-26 season. He has 21 points in 41 games after signing a 7-year, $63 million deal in October. Hughes skipped training camp due to a contract holdout.
