RALEIGH, N.C. — The New Jersey Devils will be without defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, both sidelined by injuries.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed the absence of both players after neither participated in the team`s morning skate. Both defensemen had left Sunday`s Game 1 loss prematurely and required assistance to get off the ice.
Keefe did not disclose the specific nature of the injuries. Their absence is another blow to a Devils squad already dealing with significant injuries heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This means Simon Nemec, the second overall pick in the 2022 draft, and Dennis Cholowski are set to make their NHL postseason debuts.
“It’s obviously big losses for us clearly, but not unlike anything we faced in the regular season,” Keefe commented. He added, “The message would remain the same in terms of our team’s ability and need to step up. And the group has to rise above it. So we’ve been able to do it before, and I expect the same.”
Dillon suffered his injury in the second period after a collision with Carolina`s William Carrier, subsequently struggling to maintain his balance on the ice. Keefe mentioned after the loss that Dillon had wanted to return to the game but was not cleared by doctors.
Hughes was injured in the third period, going down and ending up near the net while holding his left shoulder area. Despite this, he later returned to the game.
These latest injuries exacerbate the Devils` existing personnel issues. They are already missing top center Jack Hughes, who underwent shoulder surgery in March and is out for the remainder of the season, and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, who has been sidelined since February with a lower-body injury. Keefe had previously stated that Siegenthaler was not anticipated to return for this series.
Carolina dominated the initial game of the series, securing a 4-1 victory. They scored the first three goals and held a significant 4-to-1 shot advantage late in the second period.
In some positive news for the Devils, center Cody Glass was on the ice and has been cleared to play. Glass was also injured during the same chaotic play in Game 1 that saw Hughes hurt, although his came when goaltender Jacob Markstrom swung at Carolina`s Andrei Svechnikov near the crease and instead struck Glass, sending him painfully to the ice.
Tristan Blackwood