New Jersey Devils star center Jack Hughes is being evaluated for a lower-body injury sustained on Thursday night and his availability is unclear for Saturday’s game at Ottawa.
“The only update is that he’s still getting evaluated,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said on Friday. “In the next little bit, he’s going to get some imaging and get a better idea of what’s happening. Until we have those results, we won’t know his status in terms of travel and the situation going forward.”
Hughes was on the ice for three shifts and 2 minutes and 27 seconds before exiting a 3-2 overtime victory against the visiting Nashville Predators on Thursday. Keefe said after the game that he thought Hughes “tweaked something” and it wasn’t expected to be a long-term issue.
“As I said yesterday, the sense is it’s not anything serious,” Keefe said on Friday. “We just have to make sure and that’s what he’s doing right now.”
Hughes, 24, also is on the Team USA roster for the Winter Olympics in Italy, beginning with a Feb. 12 game against Latvia in Milan. New Jersey has three games before the NHL takes a break for the Olympics.
Injuries have hampered Hughes this season, including having surgery on a finger injured in a non-hockey incident. He missed 18 games from Nov. 15 to Dec. 19. He has 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) with no penalty minutes, 17 blocks and three hits in 36 games.
The No. 1 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, Hughes has 387 career points (153 goals, 234 assists), 62 penalty minutes, 151 blocks and 65 hits in 404 regular-season games. He also has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 12 postseason games in the 2022-23 season.
New Jersey also has been without center Cody Glass (lower-body injury), who was hit by a shot against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday and missed Thursday’s game against Nashville. He is questionable to play on Saturday against the host Senators.
“Cody had a better day today when he skated, which is positive,” Keefe said. “He’s going to travel with us. If he continues to progress then he could be available for tomorrow, but we won’t know until that time comes.”
Glass has 13 goals and five assists in 42 games this season.
–Field Level Media
