What Luke Hughes Absence Means for the Devils Response in Game Two
Game Two of this best-of-seven series against the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes is just hours away, and Jersey fans now have it even harder than before. Earlier this morning, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed key defenseman Luke Hughes will be out for Game Two due to injury. Along with Brenden Dillon and Cody Glass, Luke Hughes suffered a shoulder injury in the third period of Game One after sliding into the net, though he returned later to the relief of many fans. Though this choice may be for precautionary measures, it still stands as an enormous loss for an already injured team. Both Hughes and Dillon were confirmed out, though it wasn’t the worst, as Cody Glass was later confirmed to be in for Game Two. With New Jersey continuing to just hit rock bottom with nonstop injuries, their chance at responding to even the series just became even more unlikely.
New Jersey has already been playing without Jack Hughes for the last month and a half, as well as defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler. With Luke out, the Devils will bring in Dennis Cholowski and Šimon Nemec on defense, though it’s very unlikely they can move the puck like Luke. Forwards are also likely to change around despite Glass remaining in, this offense will undoubtedly work hard to respond, the question is will the defense? Before Luke was taken out for a short time, he surprised fans by continuing to find that open ice to skate around. The young defenseman may be new to the playoffs, but he led Game One with shot attempts and scoring chances. It’d be quite hard to replace a Hughes brother like him. With Nemec and Cholowski making their postseason debuts, let’s see if they can surprise fans. Nemec has been back and forth this season, getting his chances in the NHL while also going back down to Utica, while Cholowski doesn’t have many stats to offer with his time in New Jersey. Let’s hope the experience at least helps them a bit.
Again, it would make sense perhaps this decision could merely be just for precaution, it’s only Game Two after all. Sheldon Keefe hasn’t ruled Hughes out for Game Three on Friday, a decision will likely be made soon after tonight’s match. Though even if it is just for precaution, it would seem a risk like this would be worth taking, considering the key players this team is without. A loss tonight would send them to the Prudential Center down 2-0, and though leads like that are choked away more often than fans think, it would all depend on whether they can keep up tonight. In the end, this Devils team clinched their way into the playoffs due to their ability to keep up even without Jack Hughes, fans can only hope this team can do the same again and surprise hockey fans all around with a tied series after tonight.
