Devils' Hughes To Miss Time With Injury

The New Jersey Devils will be without their star forward and leading scorer Jack Hughes for some time as he was listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, per head coach Lindy Ruff. He also said that he thinks it could potentially be the shorter end of the timeframe.

In the Devils' previous game against the Vancouver Canucks, Hughes missed a couple of shifts, but was on the ice to end the game in overtime. He didn't practice Tuesday, the day following the day following their previous game, and left early during practice Wednesday.

Ruff also stated that Hughes will need a little time. He has been their best player and was finally enjoying a healthy season and proving he is among the league's best players. He ranks third in the NHL in goals with 35 and ninth in points with 67. He was on a scoring pace of 57 goals and 109 points and for the Devils' sake, will miss no more than five games.

The Devils are second in their division and have some breathing room between them and even the wildcard teams from their division. The goal is not to lose any ground and maintain home ice advantage for the first round down the stretch. The team has been very good as of late, going 8-1-1 over their past 10. With breathing room, shutting Hughes down for a few games could also be to ensure he is healthy for more important games later.

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