NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes is a big reason the New Jersey Devils are atop the Eastern Conference and one of the best teams in the NHL six weeks into the season, and now they’ll have to endure the next two months without their best player.

Hughes is out long term after undergoing surgery to repair a non-hockey-related finger injury, and his teammates are faced with the challenge of filling the void left by the absence of the face of the franchise. They’ve been here before, forced to play the final two months of last regular season and the playoffs after Hughes had shoulder surgery, and with an upgraded roster might be even better equipped this time around to handle it.

“You’ve got to now just dig in for it,” captain Nico Hischier said after practice Monday. “Obviously he’s a game-cha

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