The New Jersey Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils] lost their fifth game on Tuesday night to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite the ever-growing injury list, the team has a 13-5-1 record and a 6-5-0 road record. The Devils are third in the league and second in the Eastern Conference, even though they have six players still on the injured list. Before Tuesday's game, the team had nine players on the list; however, three players returned to the lineup-Dadonov, Hamilton, and Brown. The current list of injured players is Jack Hughes (hand), Zack MacEwen (undisclosed), Cody Glass (undisclosed), Brett Pesce (upper-body), Johnathan Kovacevic (knee), and Marc McLaughlin (undisclosed). Have the injuries finally caught up to the team? The Devils are missing a key forward in Hughes, who sustained a ‘freak injury’ off the ice. Hughes has missed just two games, but will miss more time. The forward underwent hand surgery and will be re-evaluated in six weeks. Hughes started the season being selected as one of the NHL’s three stars of the week. He currently leads the team in both points and goals. The 24-year-old has scored 10 goals this season and tallied 20 points in his 17 games played. The star has been unable to remain healthy for a full season since being drafted by the Devils in 2019. The team has made the postseason twice since then, first in 2022-23 and then again last season [2024-25]. Hughes has had several season-ending injuries and other minor injuries, taking him out. When healthy, he has proven how dominant he can be, but with yet another injury, his health remains a question. The Devils' blue line is also suffering. With Pesce and Kovacevic out, the Devils have had to adjust their defense. Up until Tuesday night’s game, the team was able to produce offensively, and the defense held opponents at bay. Against the Lightning, however, the team was lit up offensively, letting five goals past Markstrom. Could this be the point where the lack of veteran presence and gaps in the lineup due to injuries plague the Devils? Sloppy passes and a lack of connection hurt the Devils in the first period. They fell behind 2-0 heading into the second period. Both the Devils and Lightning scored in the second period, but two goals in the third period from the Lightning sealed the win for the team. Head coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t hold back when talking with NJD.tv [http://njd.tv] following the game. “Their best players had way too much fun tonight,” said Keefe [https://www.nhl.com/devils/news/devils-at-lightning-11-18-25-game-story]. “You give those caliber of players those types of looks, it’s going to be a real tough night.” Jake Guentzel scored three goals against the team, earning his eighth career hat trick. Keefe’s assessment of the game was accurate. The Lightning capitalized on the Devils' mistakes. While the Devils have pulled off several wins this season despite missing players, the gaps in the lineup may have finally caught up to them. Their schedule isn’t looking lighter either. The team is now gearing up to face the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. They may have gained three players back, but did the inevitable catch up to them against the Lightning? Is the team finally going to face the realities of missing key players, or will the younger players step up once again, and will this be a fluke? Time will tell: Thursday night against the Panthers, the team will find out whether this is a trend or a fluke.
