NJ Devils And Team USA Star Jack Hughes Suffers Gruesome Shoulder Injury

New Jersey Devils fans - and anyone who doesn’t like watching players get hurt - will want to look away from this clip.

On Sunday afternoon, the Devils visited "The Fortress" for a matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights. As the third period was winding down, Vegas had a power play opportunity and held a 2-0 lead over the visitors. With about a minute left in the power play, the Devils created a two-on-one with Nico Hischier carrying the puck, and Hughes flying down the ice with him.

Hischier shot the puck, and Hughes tried to stuff the rebound home. However, his skates got stuck with those of Vegas’ Jack Eichel, who was hustling back to play defense. After losing his footing, Hughes fell down and slammed hard into the boards. He had no chance to brace himself.

What makes this injury awful - other than the fact that it will probably take a while for his right shoulder to recover - is that Hughes was (accidentally) tripped up by his American teammate for the Four Nations Faceoff. Two weeks ago, those two would have sacrificed their bodies for each other in a pursuit of national glory. Now, one guy could have ended the other’s season.

According to multiple reports, Hughes’ teammate and brother, Luke, was emotional in the locker room.

"Obviously, it didn't look good," Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game. "We're going to have to take the time to know the full extent of it. It's tough to see, especially it's a similar play he got called on earlier in the period."

The Devils currently sit at third place in the Metropolitan Division. While they will likely make the playoffs, losing their top scorer does nothing to help their cause.