Jack Hughes' first NHL goal the winner against brother Quinn's Canucks
Mackenzie Blackwood pitches 25-save shutout, halting Vancouver's 4-game win streak
This time, Jack Hughes got the better of his older brother, Quinn.
He had plenty of witnesses, too.
The 18-year-old Hughes scored his first career goal in his first NHL game against his 20-year-old brother Quinn Hughes, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Vancouver Canucks 1-0 on Saturday.
Jack Hughes played in his eighth NHL game after he was selected by New Jersey with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft.
He became the first player to score his first NHL goal in a 1-0 regular-season game since Andreas Athanasiou for Detroit against Washington on Nov. 10, 2015.
WATCH | Hughes scores his 1st career NHL goal:
"I've felt good in every game," Hughes said. "Each game has been a building block for me. I think it was a little overdue."
Quinn Hughes was a first-round selection by Vancouver in 2018. There were approximately 80 Hughes family members and friends on hand for their first NHL matchup.
New Jersey went ahead to stay on Hughes' power-play goal 14:08 into the first period. Taylor Hall kept the puck on his stick while eluding two defenders and fired cross ice to Hughes, who beat Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko.
"It's such an awesome feeling," Jack Hughes said. "To come out here and play in front of my family and friends. It's nice to be able to beat Quinn. The two games we've won, we've played much better hockey."
Demko finished with 23 saves for Vancouver, which had won four in a row.
With seven minutes left, Elias Pettersson fired a high shot that Blackwood pushed off the crossbar. Then he stopped Alexander Edler on a breakaway after Edler left the penalty box. The rebound bounced out to Edler, who fired it through the crease.
WATCH | Blackwood, Devils black the Canucks:
"Everyone is out there playing for each other," Blackwood said. "No one is being selfish. Everyone is out there doing their jobs. We feed off each other's energy. When one guy is going well, then the other goes well and it becomes contagious. That helps the goaltender a lot."
The Devils' penalty killers had another solid performance, killing off six power plays two days after killing off seven straight chances against the New York Rangers. The Devils allowed eight power-play goals over their first six losses of the season.
"The penalty kill is because of an attention to detail," Devils coach John Hynes said. "We've been able to clear pucks from our zone. We've been able to maintain pressure up ice. In the games we hadn't won, it was the little things that we didn't do. I think we're more consistent."