Devils’ Luke Hughes, Brenden Dillon out for Game 2 against Hurricanes

The New Jersey Devils will have a battered blue line for Game 2 against the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes as neither Luke Hughes nor Brenden Dillon will play, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe announced Tuesday.

In Game 1 on Sunday, Dillon left midway through the second period and did not return after suffering an undisclosed injury, while Hughes’ injury came in the waning minutes of the final frame. In the end, the Hurricanes prevailed to a 4-1 victory to take a one-game lead in the opening-round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

On the season, Dillon made 82 appearances with the Devils in which he scored twice and added 14 assists for 16 points coupled with 67 penalty minutes and a plus-eight rating while averaging 18:35 in ice time per game. A veteran of 974 career contests counting stops with the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, Winnipeg Jets, and Devils, Dillon has totaled 39 goals and 173 assists for 212 career points. The 34-year-old native of New Westminster, B.C., has also added 15 points through 84 postseason appearances.

For Hughes, the third-year rearguard saw 71 showings with New Jersey this season in which he collected seven goals and 37 assists to rank fifth in team scoring and first among defensemen with 44 points. Originally chosen fourth overall by New Jersey in the 2021 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old native of Manchester, N.H., has since skated in 155 career contests over part of three seasons with the Devils in which he has notched 17 goals and 76 assists for 93 points. Hughes has also made four appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, notching two points.

Following Game 2 on Tuesday in Carolina, the Devils will return home for Games 3 and 4 coming Friday and Sunday in New Jersey. Carolina and New Jersey met up four times in 2024-25, each taking two regulation wins.