New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes will miss Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators due to a lower-body injury sustained earlier in the week. The Senators, desperate for playoff positioning, host the matchup with forward Brady Tkachuk in strong form. Betting odds favor Ottawa in the contest.
The New Jersey Devils will be without star center Jack Hughes when they visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET (SN1, TVAS2, MSG). Hughes suffered a lower-body injury during the Devils' 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, exiting after three shifts totaling 2:27 in the first period, specifically at the 8:27 mark. Devils coach Sheldon Keefe provided an optimistic update, stating, “Evaluation yesterday confirmed good news, which is that it’s not anything serious. I think we’ll see him on the ice soon.”
Hughes, who is on the Team USA roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, has recorded 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) in 36 games this season, including five points (one goal, four assists) in his last four outings. The No. 1 pick from the 2019 NHL Draft has a history of injuries, missing significant time in previous seasons due to shoulder issues and a hand injury earlier this year, during which the Devils went 8-10-0 without him from November 15 to December 19.
To adjust, the Devils (28-24-2) will rely on centers Nico Hischier and Luke Glendening, with Cody Glass returning to the lineup after missing Thursday's game due to his own lower-body injury. Hischier, however, sat out the morning skate with an illness and is a game-time decision. New Jersey sits nine points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, with three games remaining before the Olympic break. Keefe emphasized the team's resilience: "We believe with proper structure and process, we're going to be in every game and give ourselves an opportunity to get points in every game."
Meanwhile, the Senators are 10 points out of a playoff position with fewer than 30 games left in the regular season. Captain Brady Tkachuk has been a key contributor, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists for 15 points in January, finding the net in five of his last eight games. Ottawa has scored 12 goals over its last two games and is expected to challenge Devils goaltender Jake Allen, who has a .884 save percentage over five starts this month, allowing four goals in three of his last four appearances.
Defenseman Jake Sanderson has also excelled for Ottawa, tallying 13 assists in 15 games during January, with at least one helper in 11 of those contests. Betting odds list the Senators as -150 moneyline favorites, with the Devils at +125; the puck line is Senators -1.5 (+170) and Devils +1.5 (-205); total goals over/under is 5.5 (-130/+110). The Senators have hit the over on the first-period total in 15 of their last 20 games.
