One day after getting a defenseman back with the signing of Luke Hughes, the New Jersey Devils could be without another key defenseman, at least in the short term.
Late in the second period of Thursday night's preseason matchup with the New York Rangers, key Devils defenseman Brett Pesce blocked two shots while killing a Jonas Siegenthaler penalty, with the first striking him directly in the ankle area.
Pesce, 30, did manage to play until the whistle despite hobbling around the ice, but did not return for the third period and finished his night with just 11:08 of ice time.