LAS VEGAS — Devils leading scorer Jack Hughes went down with what appeared to be a serious injury with 1:48 left in New Jersey’s 2-0 loss Sunday night to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Hughes went down hard after a collision with the Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel, who stood next to him and appeared to encourage him. Then Hughes left the ice holding his right arm.
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said he didn’t have an update on Hughes.
“Obviously, it didn’t look good,” Keefe said. “We’re going to have to take the time to know the full extent of it. It’s tough to see, especially it’s a similar play he got called on earlier in the period.”
Hughes was called for interference 1:12 into the third period, which led to the Golden Knights’ first goal.
Keefe was assessed a game misconduct for arguing with the referees.
“I get kicked off the bench for telling the referee I felt that it was 10 times worse than the one that was previously called on Jack,” Keefe said.
Hughes’ brother, Luke, was emotional when he entered the locker room while the media were waiting to conduct a post-game interview. The media were escorted to the hallway to give the player privacy.
Jack Hughes leads New Jersey with 27 goals and 70 points. His 43 assists are second on the team only to Jesper Bratt’s 51.
Without Hughes, the Devils would be without their most valuable playmaker just after goaltender Jacob Markstrom returned from an extended injury absence. Hughes was one of the biggest bright spots in Keefe’s first season as coach before going down.
The 35-year-old Markstrom is 21-10-5 this season with a .912 save percentage and 2.19 goals-against average.
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