Hamilton, Big Hat, Big Play | FEATURE

On Thursday, the Devils hosted the Seattle Kraken, one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. And they had to do so without their superstar (and All-Star) Jack Hughes.
The team announced the morning of the game that Hughes will be out of the lineup with an upper-body injury with a timeframe of week-to-week.
Without Hughes, the Devils lost 35 goals and 67 points worth of production. So, filling his absence would be a tall task.
"He's pretty much (been) carrying us," defenseman Dougie Hamilton said. "A huge loss for us. You could tell our team was a little different. We needed guys to step up."
The player that stepped up was Hamilton himself. He converted two power-play goals against the Kraken in New Jersey's 3-1 victory at Prudential Center.

"There were two great passes from (Ondrej Palat)," Hamilton said. "It was perfect timing and everything."
Those passes placed the puck on the table for Hamilton to finish with his hefty one-timer.
"Dougie can really shoot it. We've gotten big goals from him," Palat said. "He's winding up. I'm just trying to pass it to him. He has a great shot. I'm glad it went in for him."
Hamilton, 29, was the NHL's biggest free agent signing in the summer of 2021. It was the Devils that landed him with a seven-year, $63-million commitment.
After a mixed first season marred by injuries (a broken jaw and toe amongst them), Hamilton has found his stride in Year 2. In fact, he's having an offensive season unlike any other he's experienced during his 11-year playing career.
Hamilton has 51 points (15g-36a) in 51 games. Not only is that a point-per-game production, the 51 points is a career high for Hamilton, besting his 50 from the 2016-17 season. And The 6-foot-6, 230-pound blueliner still has 31 games left to add on to those totals.
But wait, there's more…
Hamilton deflected much of the credit for his offensive explosion to his teammates.
"Opportunity to play with good players. That's pretty much it for me," he said. "I'm trying not to think about it too much. I just try to keep playing and get better."
And despite his offensive outburst, Hamilton does see areas he'd like to improve upon in his game.
"I think I can play better still. I think it's working," he said. "I'll try to keep improving and finish off strong."
For his efforts, Hamilton wore the Devils massive Hathat following the victory against Seattle while speaking with the media. He was asked about the fit.
"It's a little tight on me surprisingly, but definitely pretty funny," he said with a grin. "It's pretty cool to wear around after a win."
A win in large part to Hamilton's play.