RALEIGH, N.C. — The New Jersey Devils will be without defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon for Tuesday night`s Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes due to injuries.
Coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed the absence of both players, who did not participate in the morning skate. Both defensemen exited Sunday`s Game 1 loss prematurely and required assistance to leave the ice.
Keefe did not provide specific details on the nature of the injuries. These setbacks add to the Devils` list of injured players, who were already missing key contributors before the Stanley Cup Playoffs began. As a result, Simon Nemec, the second overall selection in the 2022 draft, and Dennis Cholowski are expected to enter the lineup for their first career playoff appearances.
“These are obviously significant losses for us, without question, but it`s not unlike challenges we faced during the regular season,” Keefe commented. “The core message remains the same regarding our team`s capability and the need to elevate our performance. The group must overcome this adversity. We`ve successfully done this before, and I anticipate the same outcome now.”
Dillon sustained his injury in the second period, falling hard after getting entangled with Carolina`s William Carrier and subsequently struggling to stand. Keefe noted after Game 1 that Dillon wanted to return but was not medically cleared by the doctors.
Hughes was injured in the third period, ending up in the net and clutching his left shoulder area. Despite this, he was able to return to the game later.
The Devils were already missing key players entering the series, including top center Jack Hughes, who is out for the season after shoulder surgery in March, and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, sidelined since February with a lower-body injury. Keefe had previously indicated Siegenthaler was not expected to return during this series.
Carolina secured a dominant 4-1 victory in the series opener, scoring the first three goals and establishing a significant shot advantage by the end of the second period.
In some positive news for the Devils, center Cody Glass was on the ice for the skate and has been cleared to play. Glass was also injured in Game 1 during the same chaotic play that involved Hughes, though his injury occurred when goaltender Jacob Markstrom swung his stick at Carolina`s Andrei Svechnikov near the crease and accidentally hit Glass, sending him to the ice in pain.
Rupert Hartwell