Count Round 1 for Jack Hughes and the Devils.
With the top two picks in June’s draft facing each other for the first time in the NHL, it was Hughes — the Devils’ selection at No. 1-overall — bettering the Rangers’ selection at No. 2, Kaapo Kakko, as the Devils got their first win of the season, a 5-2 victory on Thursday night at Prudential Center.
The Rangers (2-2-0) had only played three games in the 13 days since opening night on Oct. 3. But Kakko managed to score before Hughes, netting his first goal in the team’s previous contest, a 4-1 loss to the Oilers on Saturday.