Jesper Bratt and Tomas Tatar each had a goal and an assist, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves for the Devils (14-16-5), who have won four of their past five games.
"Jack makes a different when he's on the ice," Bratt said. "I think everyone really sees now how big a part of our organization he is. He creates scoring chances every time he's on the ice. He's got that mindset that I like to play with ... to create stuff every time."
Max Domi scored, and Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves for the Blue Jackets (15-16-1), who have lost three in a row and five of six.
"We had a good start; we played very simple," Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. "We checked well, made the right plays at the right times and didn't force things. Then it got away from us. It's just not good enough."
Bratt scored a power-play goal on a wrist shot from the high slot to make it 2-1 at 1:16 of the third period.
The line of Tatar, Hughes and Bratt combined for seven points (three goals, four assists) and nine shots. Hughes missed 17 games from Oct. 21-Nov. 28 because of a dislocated shoulder.
"He's got good chemistry with Bratt and Tatar and he's making a difference," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said of Hughes. "He's making a lot of things happen offensively for us, skating really well and his bounce back from injury early in the season is something that is evident now."
Tatar took a pass in the slot and scored on a backhand to give the Devils a 1-0 lead 51 seconds into the first.
Domi tied it 1-1 at the left post on a rebound off Blackwood's right pad at 4:54.
"There's a ton of try, [but] at some point, you have to play with some poise," Larsen said. "Teams are going to push back. We need our guys to understand and make the next play. This is 'Hockey 101,' and we have to get better. We are going to chip at one situation at a time here."
