The New Jersey Devils are an entirely different team when Jack Hughes is on the ice. Unfortunately, including this recent stretch, he’s missed 103 of a possible 488 career games — over 21%.
This one, however, was unlike his previous injuries, as it was deemed a “freak” accident that occurred off-ice at a steakhouse in Chicago. This morning, Jack said that he will make his return for tonight’s home contest against the Buffalo Sabres, per the team on X.
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Devils Treaded Water
With Jack in the lineup, the Devils were 12-4-1. While they certainly struggled without him — especially on the rush — they played to an 8-10-0 record in his absence, which was enough to keep them in a playoff spot (2nd Wild Card). With the parity, they’re just one single point behind the Washington Capitals for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
This season, Jack has 20 points (10G, 10A) in 17 games. He had two assists in the Devils’ win over the Chicago Blackhawks, prior to suffering his injury.
Not only is this great news for the Devils. but it’s great news for Team USA’s Olympic brass as Jack will now have plenty of time to ramp up prior to the Winter Games, which begin for the U.S. squad on Thursday, Feb. 12.
From the second he stepped on the ice for practice, ticket inventory for tonight’s game began to rapidly decrease. It’s no surprise that it’s expected to be a sold-out crowd of 16,514. Jack wasn’t wrong in 2024: People pay to watch him play.
Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier will also return to play tonight, per Ryan Novozinsky on X.
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