3 least impressive New Jersey Devils players from 3-1 loss to Vegas Golden Knights feat. Luke Hughes 

The New Jersey Devils entered Thursday night's contest on home ice at Prudential Center hoping to secure their third win in their last five games, especially on the heels of their recent victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

They faced the Vegas Golden Knights, who were simply looking to return to the win column after going 0-2-2 in their last four games.

Ultimately, it was Vegas who rolled the dice and came out on top over the Devils, winning by a 3-1 final score. The Golden Knights improved their record to 32-17-6, while the Devils fell to 30-20-6.

Neither team managed to find the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes of play, though Vegas quickly took care of that in the game's middle frame.

Both Nicolas Roy and Shea Theodore scored their seventh goals of the season, giving the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead which they took into the second intermission.

Forward Jack Eichel increased the Vegas lead to 3-0, scoring his 19th goal and putting the game essentially out of reach. With the Devils pressing for momentum, they managed to cut the deficit to two goals thanks to Ondrej Palat's power-play goal at the 15:43 mark.

Unfortunately for New Jersey, it's as close as they'd get. Golden Knights goaltender stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced, while Jake Allen was strong in a losing effort with 37 saves on 40 shots.

3 least impressive New Jersey Devils players from 3-1 loss to Vegas Golden Knights

#1. Luke Hughes

The Devils defenseman and one half of the Hughes-brothers duo on the New Jersey roster, Luke Hughes wasn't at his best against the Golden Knights,

He finished tied for a team-worst -3 rating as part of the loss, finding himself on the ice for every Golden Knights goal; he also was guilty of a giveaway.

#2. Jesper Bratt

Like Luke Hughes, Bratt finished with a -3 rating. Despite contributing an assist on Palat's power-play goal, it didn't go toward his plus-minus rating for the game.

#3. Jack Hughes

Speaking of the Hughes brothers, Jack Hughes was noticeably absent for the Devils on the scoresheet, where he makes his living. He finished with zero points, a -2 rating, and managed only a single shot on goal.

In close games, the Devils rely on the offense that Hughes has demonstrated he's capable of providing, but he didn't come through on Thursday.

The New Jersey Devils will look to bounce back when they face the Montreal Canadiens next at Centre Bell on Saturday.