Devils' Jack Hughes undergoes finger surgery following 'fluke accident,' expected to miss eight weeks

The first-place Devils will officially be without their top scorer for the foreseeable future. 

The team announced on Saturday afternoon that All-Star center Jack Hughes underwent successful finger surgery in NYC, and is expected to be sidelined for about eight weeks.

Hughes will be reevaluated around the six-to-eight week mark.  

While the severity wasn't known at the time, numerous reports Friday revealed that the injury occurred when the 24-year-old slipped and cut his hand in a "fluke accident" at a team dinner on Thursday.

It was originally announced he'd miss Saturday's game against the Capitals, but now we know he'll miss much more time. 

The Devils will sorely miss Hughes, who had logged 20 points on 10 goals and 10 assists through 17 games.

New Jersey finds itself atop the Metropolitan Division race with a 12-4-1 record (25 points).