New Jersey Devils assistant captain Jack Hughes was forced from Sunday night's game against the Vegas Golden Knights after he fell awkwardly into the boards late in the third period behind the Vegas net.

He got tangled up with Jack Eichel, though he appeared to take the brunt of the impact with the boards. Eichel did make sure to check on his former Team USA teammate immediately afterward.

While making his way off the ice, Hughes appeared to be favoring his right arm.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe, who was ejected from the contest after arguing the non-penalty call with the referees, didn't have an optimistic-sounding update on Hughes' condition, via Sportsnet.

“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.”

The Devils are next in action on Tuesday at American Airlines Center in Dallas against the Dallas Stars; puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST.

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If Hughes is forced to miss significant time with his injury, it would be a major blow to the Devils and their chances to go on an extended run in the postseason. With 27 goals and 43 assists, Hughes leads the Devils with 70 points and was on pace to reach at least 94 total points.

Devils assistant captain Jack Hughes has been limited by injuries in recent years

New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Prudential Center.
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Thanks to injuries, Hughes has been limited to 62 and 61 games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, respectively. He missed multiple games last season thanks to an arm injury, which was a major factor in their failure to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Devils, they're losing another top player just as one came back into the lineup from injury; goaltender Jacob Markstrom made his return to game action on Sunday night for the first time since late January.