Devils’ Jack Hughes day-to-day with lower-body injury

Some more concern over arguably the best player on the New Jersey Devils roster.

When speaking to the media, head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed that forward Jack Hughes will not be in the lineup on Saturday when the Devils take on the Ottawa Senators, and is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Hughes was hurt during Thursday night’s game against the Nashville Predators. He exited the game near the halfway mark of the first period after playing just 2:27. Keefe had mentioned after the game that he didn’t believe the injury was serious.

The Devils would go on to win the game, 3-2, in overtime.

It’s another addition to the laundry list of ailments for the former first-overall pick. Earlier this season, a non-hockey-related injury knocked the 24-year-old out for 18 games. That comes after a shoulder injury knocked him out for the last couple of months of the 2024-25 regular season, and all of the Devils’ run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In just 36 games this season, Hughes has scored 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points. Even though he has missed considerable time, he’s still third on the team in scoring.

The team’s points leader might also not play against Ottawa. According to Keefe, captain Nico Hischier is a game-time decision due to illness. Hischier hasn’t missed a game this season, having scored 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points.

In some positive news, defenseman Cody Glass is back in the lineup on Saturday. He was knocked out of Wednesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets with an undisclosed injury, and didn’t play against the Predators on Thursday.

The Devils (28-24-2) come into Saturday sixth in the Metropolitan Division, nine points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.