Might the Devils have to suffer through another Jack Hughes absence?
While it’s unclear what exactly happened to the superstar center, he exited Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators not once but two times during the first period with an injury.
Hughes did not return in the game.
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Hughes, 24, played three shifts and just 2:27 minutes before exiting the game. His last shift was 56 seconds long at 7:31 of the first period. He exited for the locker room with a trainer shortly after. He was favoring his left side when he skated toward the bench.
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Hughes already underwent surgery this season after he suffered an injury to his finger at a team dinner in Chicago in November. He missed 19 games during a crucial stretch of the season.
That injury marked the second straight year Hughes has been sidelined after a freak injury. He missed the second half of last season with a shoulder injury after slamming into the board in a game against the Golden Knights.
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe will provide an update on Hughes after the game.
Hughes has 36 points (12 goals and 24 assists) in 36 games. He is on the Team USA Olympic roster.
The Devils are in a bit of a funk — and Hughes missing any additional time won’t help that. They’re 27-24-2, sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and have lost two games in a row.
