Another Hughes brother could be facing injury troubles.
Hughes appeared to be favouring his right arm, while New Jersey head coach Sheldon Keefe was ejected in the aftermath.
Keefe told reporters after the game Hughes was still being checked out.
“Real hard to see him go down,” Keefe said. “There’s no update. He’s going to have to be evaluated. Obviously it didn’t look good. We’re gonna have to take our time to know the full extent of it.”
With the Devils killing a penalty while down 2-0, Hughes broke out on a two-on-one with Nico Hischier handling the puck. As Hischier shot on net, a back-checking Eichel got his skates tangled with Hughes.
Both players crashed into the boards, but the Devils star appeared to bear the brunt of the collision. Eichel got up and immediately checked on his Team USA 4 Nations teammate, who skated off the ice hunched over but under his own power.
Keefe was assessed a two-minute bench minor and game misconduct following the play.
Hughes was called for interference 1:12 into the third period, which led to the Golden Knights’ first goal.
“I get kicked off the bench for telling the referee I felt that it was 10 times worse than the one that was previously called on Jack,” Keefe said.
Vegas held on to win the game 2-0.
Hughes’ brother, Quinn Hughes, was unable to finish his game for the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday as he continues to battle an undisclosed ailment which held him out of the mid-season international competition.
Hughes’ other brother, teammate Luke, was emotional when he entered the locker room while the media was waiting to conduct a post-game interview. The media members were escorted to the hallway to give the player privacy.
Jack Hughes leads New Jersey with 27 goals and 70 points. His 43 assists are second on the team only to Jesper Bratt’s 51.
Without Hughes, the Devils would be without their most valuable playmaker just after goaltender Jacob Markstrom returned from an extended injury absence. Hughes was one of the biggest bright spots in Keefe’s first season as coach before going down.
The Devils, who sit second in the Metropolitan Division, next play Tuesday in Dallas against the Stars.
The NHL’s trade deadline is Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
–with files from The Associated Press