The Devils douse the Red Wings

Hughes snaps Detroit's flame in overtime

No second chances

Qualification night lit all 32 candles, and in Detroit two of them burned straight at each other. The New Jersey Devils knew how cruel this night could be: in 2024-25 their flame died right here at the start, beaten by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Detroit Red Wings carried the same scar from 2023-24, when the New York Islanders ended them on qualification night. Last season both clubs were snuffed by the same team, the Boston Bruins. Now one of them would go dark before the tournament had really begun.

Four times level

Evan Rodrigues struck first with a snap shot at 6:07 of the first. Emmitt Finnie answered with a wrist shot at 18:35, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård snapped Detroit ahead 1:43 into the second. Anthony Mantha tied it at 7:03. When Keegan Kolesar sat for hooking, Nico Hischier tipped in a power-play goal at 10:16, fed by Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes.

Alex DeBrincat leveled it at 15:10. Bratt restored the lead at 16:52, Hughes assisting again. DeBrincat refused to fade: his second snap shot, at 5:46 of the third, made it 4-4. Jake Allen turned aside 23 of 27 for New Jersey, while John Gibson made 32 saves at the other end.

Hughes ends it

Overtime lasted 1:19. Bratt found Hughes, Hughes snapped it past Gibson, and the Red Wings' candle went cold. The Devils burn on, one of 31 flames still lit.