The New Jersey Devils lost center Jack Hughes to an upper-body injury early in the first period of their 4-1 loss to the Blues on Friday night in St. Louis.

Hughes, who entered the game with an NHL-leading 15 assists and 20 points, left the game after awkwardly crashing into the boards after being slightly hooked by Blues defenseman Torey Krug. No penalty was called on the play.

"It's tough," Devils forward Curtis Lazar said. "I mean you look at the start he's had. I'm not going to lie, we were a little dejected when it happened. But, again, you've got to kind of turn the page when you realize he's not coming back and say, 'All right, next man up.'"

Devils coach Lindy Ruff didn't have an update on Hughes' status after the game. He will be reevaluated Saturday.

New Jersey was already playing without center Nico Hischier, who missed his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.