Jack Hughes sustains upper-body injury after crash into boards

New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes departed Friday's game against the St. Louis Blues due to an upper-body injury and was unable to return.

Hughes slipped after a scoring chance and went hard into the boards midway through the first period.

The dynamic center initially didn't miss a shift but later left the contest and was ultimately ruled out for the remainder.

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff didn't specify the injury and said Hughes will be evaluated Saturday, according to team reporter Amanda Stein.

Hughes entered Friday leading the NHL in assists (15) and points (20) while ranking sixth among the league's forwards in average ice time (21:49) across nine games.

The 22-year-old is coming off a season in which he racked up 43 goals and 56 assists over 78 contests, setting a Devils record for points in a single campaign.

Hughes' injury occurred with the game scoreless, and the Blues went on to win 4-1. Devils forward Curtis Lazar mentioned it was tough to get going after seeing their star go down.

"I'm not going to lie, we were a little dejected when it happened," he said. "Again, you've got to turn the page when you realize he's not coming back and it's alright, next man up."

New Jersey is already without captain Nico Hischier, who hasn't played since enduring a high hit from Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton on Oct. 27.