“I Don’t Think He Deserved It”: Jake Allen Stands Up for Luke Hughes

“I don’t think he deserved it,” said goaltender Jake Allen when talking about the response from fans who booked defenseman Luke Hughes on Sunday night. Following a game where Hughes made two mistakes, both of which wound up in the back of his own net, the fans had seen enough and let Hughes know about it.

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“I made a couple of mistakes tonight, and I have to be better,” said Hughes. “It is what it is.” Hughes was grateful that his teammates came to his defense. “I was proud of how the guys played today, I just gotta be better.” The first one came off my stick funny. The second one, he tried to make a play and the Hurricanes’ player made a luck play. “I made those plays millions of times today it just didn’t go my way, so…”

Allen was Hughes’ biggest defender. Hughes called his goaltender a great leader and a big reason the team has success. The fact that Allen stood up and said that “It’s nice that he believes in me.”

Allen said, “Listen, I’m a goalie. I’m the one that always gets the bad end of the stick when I make mistakes. I’ve made so many mistakes I can’t even count. I’ve had fans boo me.”

He went on to explain:

“Listen, I don’t think he deserved it. He’s a kid that made two mistakes in a hockey game. Whoever doesn’t make mistakes, I’d love to meet you. It’s a tough situation for him in a game like that — probably something he’s never felt before… He’s a great kid that’s playing a game that’s made of mistakes. And, you know, I just want to pat him on the back and get back to it on Tuesday here.”

Allen added, “I was really hoping he was going to get a goal for his own sake, just for confidence — win or loss — just to get him back in the right spirits. But he’s a mature kid, and he’ll handle it well.””

Why Did The Fans Turn On Hughes?

James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now wonders if the timing of this game had a lot to do with why Luke didn’t get support from the fans. Nichols noted that this was the wrong game to have at the wrong time. “They missed Quinn Hughes, and the Devils were supposed to be better this season. Injuries—yet again—became too much, and now they’re middling and have questions.”

He goes on to suggest that tempers boiled over and the fans let Luke hear it. He made two unfortunate plays that he probably shouldn’t have made, but he became the scapegoat. “Yes, the contract is a factor, but in a few years, if/when he’s the clear-cut No.1 defenseman, no one will be batting an eye at it.”

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