New Jersey Devils centre Jack Hughes of Orlando, Florida is out for the foreseeable future and how he got injured is making National Hockey League headlines. Hughes reportedly leaned on a glass during a Devils team dinner on Thursday evening according ton Kristy Flannery of the Hockey News, and severely cut his finger. He has since had finger surgery and will be out for two months.
The non-hockey related injury wis a significant blow to the Devils organization. Hughes is the current leader for the Devils in goals (10), points (20), even strength goals (nine), even strength points (15), shots on goal (69), and takeaways (12). He also is tied for the Devils lead in power-play points with five (tied with winger Jesper Bratt of Stockholm, Sweden, and Timo Meuer of Herisau, Switzerland), game-winning goals with two (tied with Bratt and defenseman Brenden Dillon of New Westminster, British Columbia), and power play assists with four (tied with Bratt). Hughes also has 10 assists, is a +3, with 52 faceoff wins, one hat trick, 10 blockers shots, two hits and 35 giveaways.
Two hits, hat trick and two game-winning goals
Hughes’s first hit came in a 5-3 Devils wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 11 and the second hit came in a 4-3 Devils overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens on November 6.
Hughes’s first game-winning goal came on October 18 in a 5-3 Devils win over the Edmonton Oilers. Hughes scored from Bratt at 12:33 of the third period, which put the Devils up 4-1 at the time. Hughes’s second game-winning goal came on October 26 in a 4-3 Devils win over the Colorado Avalanche. He scored from defenseman Simon Nemec of Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia at the 1:53 of the extra period. Hughes’s hat trick came on October 21 in a 5-2 Devils win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Olympic spot still a probability
Hughes has a chance of still making the American Olympic team despite the injury. Hughes is expected to return to the ice in the middle of January, which should give him about two weeks of action before he plays for the Americans at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Best in the East
The Devils have the best record in the Eastern Conference. With a record of 13 wins, four regulation losses, and one loss in extra time, they have 27 points. New Jersey also has the second most points in the entire NHL. Only the Colorado Avalanche have more, as they have 31.
