The New Jersey Devils did not get out of Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes unscathed. 

In the club’s 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes, the Devils lost three players to injury, with one returning in the final minutes of the game. 

Defenseman Brenden Dillon

Defenseman Brenden Dillon left the game with an injury in the second period after colliding with an opposing player and falling awkwardly to the ice. The veteran did not return. 

After the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters in Raleigh that his defenseman was eager to get back out there, but the team doctors held him off the ice for precautionary reasons. 

Dillon played 8:53 and led all defensemen with four hits. Entering this series, the 34-year-old had 83 games of postseason experience with the Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals, and Winnipeg Jets. 

Defenseman Luke Hughes 

Midway through the third period, New Jersey’s youngest defenseman collided with Jesper Kotkaniemi and slid into Markstrom’s net. In visible pain, he was holding his arm as he skated off.

Luke Hughes returned to the ice in the final few minutes of the third period and finished the game with the third-most ice time (22:20). 

The Devils have three defensemen on their roster: Seamus Casey, Dennis Cholowski, and Simon Nemec. It is worth noting that none of them have appeared in a postseason game. 

Center Cody Glass

On the same shift that Hughes was injured, Cody Glass was caught in the leg by goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who was attempting to clear his crease. He was immediately helped off the ice by a trainer.

Keefe said there is no update on Glass at this time. 

The 26-year-old played 9:04 and had a face-off win percentage of 81.8%, winning nine of 11 draws. Glass had two hits, one blocked shot, and one shot on goal. 

If Glass is unavailable, the Devils have Nolan Foote, Curtis Lazar, Kurtis MacDermid, and Tomas Tatar as options for the next matchup. 

Game 2 will be at the Lenovo Center in North Carolina on Tuesday night. 

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