CJS Press Box

NJ Devils star, Jack Hughes, was absent for a majority of the Devils’ home game against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, just two weeks before the Olympics are set to begin.

The weather might have felt like six degrees in Newark, N.J., but fans willing to brave the cold saw the New Jersey Devils turn up the heat against the Nashville Predators, winning 3-2 in overtime.

One player clearly missing for the majority of the game was forward center Jack Hughes. The 24-year-old participated in team warm-ups and completed three shifts in the first period before heading into the tunnel with an unknown injury. 

With a little less than a week before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan commence, Hughes’ absence could potentially affect the Men’s USA Team. If the injury isn’t resolved soon, Hughes – who areset to make his debut at the Games alongside his brother, Minnesota Wild’s Quinn – could spend a majority of his time in Europe on the bench. 

Of the 25-man roster for Team USA, Hughes is the only member of the Devils. Other forwards include J.T. Miller and Vincent Trochek of the NY Rangers, Jack Eichel from the Vegas Golden Knights, and a second brother duo. Brady (Ottawa Senators) and Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) are also jetting to Italy to represent Team USA.

Besides defensemen Jake Sanderson (Minnesota Wild) and Brock Faber (Ottawa Senators), this will be the first time the remaining 23 players on the team play in the Olympics. One of the main reasons is that NHL players did not participate in the Olympics for 12 years. The last occurrence was the 2014 Sochi Games. 

The team is projected to win its first medal since 2014 if it can keep up with Team Canada, which, according to ESPN, is projected to win the gold this year. Averaging more than one point per game for the Devils in the past four seasons, Hughes has the potential to be a lead scorer for Team USA.

During the Devils’ post-game press conference, Coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed Hughes “tweaked something in the game” that resulted in a lower-body injury.

Although Keefe doesn’t “believe it’s a serious thing at this point”, with one of his star players off the ice, he had to pivot from his original plan. “Once we lost Jack, it was a mismatch back there,” said Keefe. 

As a result, newly traded Maxim Tsyplakov spent his time on the bench in the second and third periods. The Russian right-winger told reporters after his first practice with the men in red that he was eager for the new opportunities. 

Unfortunately, Tsyplakov (who was swapped from the New York Islanders for Ondrej Palat on Tuesday) simply got lost in the shuffle of the game. “He didn’t get nearly the opportunity I was hoping to give him here today, but that’s kind of the circumstances once we lost Jack,” said Keefe. “All bets are kinda off.”

Despite the loss of Hughes, the team pulled out the win in overtime thanks to captain Nico Hischier. As the puck entered the net, Hischier skated away as if it were just another day. His nonchalant aura was accompanied by the stadium erupting in excitement over a Devils win. 

The Predators kept pressure on their opponent throughout all three periods, but as they started to release tension, Hischier saw an opening to take a risky shot as the Predators circled the net. And good thing it went in, according to Hischier, “If not, I don’t think coach would have been happy at all.”

The game was off to a slow start with Tennessee scoring the only goal during the first period at 5:07, but by the second period, the sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat type of action took off. Visits to the sin box, 13 shots on goal from both teams, and jersey-tugging-jabs riddled the period. This was the intense activity fans trekked through the icy streets for.

With nine minutes and 59 seconds left in the second period, the Devils’ Dougie Hamilton reminded everyone who he is, continuing his goal streak for the ninth straight game. Swiftly after getting his team on the board, he found himself in the penalty box. And boy, did the Predators try to sink their teeth into Jacob Markstrom. With the crowd cheering him on, the pressure only heightening, Marky deflected and held off the Predators during a power play that looked very much in Nashville’s favor. 

The final period could only be described as a sloppy, anxious mess, as both teams were on edge to come out on top. The Predator’s Filip Forsberg shot his 20th goal of the season, leading his team by one, before Jesper Bratt tied up the game 10 minutes later. The goal also solidified a season high for the Swedish forward, getting his 40th point of the season. 

Reflecting on his team’s momentum throughout the game, Coach Keefe knew from the jump, “It was gonna have to be a tough, tight hockey game.”

The Devils have three games left before the Olympic break begins. Team USA plays against Latvia on Thursday, February 12th.

*This story was originally written for publication following the New Jersey Devils game on January 29, 2026.