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Devils Announce Jack Hughes News on Friday
© Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The New Jersey Devils were without leading scorer Jack Hughes for Saturday night’s game against the Washington Capitals.

According to multiple reports, the 24-year-old returned to New Jersey on Friday for further evaluation after sustaining a hand injury the night before.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Hughes suffered the injury during a team dinner on Thursday in which sources called a "fluke accident."

"Exact details are unknown at this time, but it’s believed he slipped and cut his hand," Friedman wrote.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan also confirmed that the club considered the injury non-hockey related and that the player is not expected to travel with the team for the Capitals game.

“Hughes injured his hand in a ‘freak accident’ at a team dinner on Thursday,” Kaplan wrote. “Hughes returned to New Jersey for further evaluation.”

No additional information on the nature or severity of the injury has been made available following Friday's news. The Devils have not provided a timeline for his return, and there were no official updates.

Before the incident, Hughes had been one of the NHL’s most productive forwards. In 17 games, he recorded 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points, logging a plus-3 plus/minus.

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (86) speaks to defenseman and brother Luke Hughes (43) at Scotiabank Arena.Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Hughes leads all Devils in total points and goals, and ranks second in the assists column only trailing Jesper Bratt's 11 helpers.

The Devils are already dealing with multiple injuries. Cody Glass, Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, Brett Pesce, Zack MacEwan, Dougie Hamilton, and Johnathan Kovacevic were all unavailable entering the weekend.

New Jersey entered the game atop the Metropolitan Division with a 12–4–1 record. The team will face the Capitals on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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