The New Jersey Devils are set to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 7 p.m. EST at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. This road game comes after the Devils secured a 3-2 shootout victory against the Washington Capitals on Saturday. However, the team will be without their star center, Jack Hughes, who is sidelined following finger surgery.
Hughes sustained a cut on his hand during a team dinner in Chicago on Thursday night, November 13, in what has been described as a "freak accident". The accident involved a broken glass and resulted in Hughes undergoing surgery on his finger. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Hotchkiss at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. The expected recovery timeline is approximately eight weeks, with Hughes to be re-evaluated in six weeks.
The absence of Hughes is a significant blow to the Devils. Prior to his injury, the 24-year-old was leading the team with 10 goals and 20 points in 17 games. His performance has been a major factor in the Devils' strong start to the season, placing them atop the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference with a 13-4-1 record.
Coach Sheldon Keefe acknowledged the difficulty of Hughes' absence. "It's a tough situation obviously," Keefe said. "You feel for Jack. He's been playing so well, he worked so hard last summer to get himself back and was playing very well so, it's tough for him, tough for us as a team". Keefe also noted the team's unfortunate experience with player injuries, emphasizing the need to adapt and continue. "We've unfortunately had to get used to these situations of people dropping out of our lineup and pressing on as a team so that's what we'll have to do," Keefe stated.
Captain Nico Hischier emphasized the need for the team to "dig in" and maintain a strong team dynamic in Hughes' absence. "You've got to now just dig in for it," Hischier said. "Obviously he's a game-changer type of guy that can decide games for us. We've still got enough skill in here, but we've got to be even more glued together, stick together and keep working on our process that we believe can have us being a successful hockey team".
The Devils have faced injury challenges earlier in the season with key players like Brett Pesce, Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown, Cody Glass, Evgenii Dadonov and Jacob Markstrom missing time. However, Hamilton, Brown, and Dadonov are potentially returning this week. In addition to Hughes, forward Cody Glass is also out week to week with an upper-body injury.
Looking ahead, Hughes' injury could impact his availability for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy. If he recovers within eight weeks, he might be able to join Team USA, however, national federations are required to submit rosters by December 31, leaving his participation in doubt.
Despite Hughes' absence, the Devils are determined to maintain their strong performance. First-line winger Timo Meier stressed the importance of continuous improvement. "We're giving ourselves a chance every night to win the game, and we have high expectations on ourselves,” Meier said. “We've got to continue and raise that level every day".
The Devils' game against the Lightning will be broadcast on NHL Network.
