Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Devils recently announced Jack Hughes will be sidelined for a couple of months after he was injured during a team dinner in Chicago. Now, the Panthers will be without the services of Eetu Luostarinen for at least a few games due to burns the center suffered when a grilling session took a turn for the worse.
Most professional athletes who miss time due to an injury are sidelined by a setback that either unfolded during a game or while they were in a practice or training session. However, there’s only so much they can do to avoid getting hurt while simply going through life.
There have been a number of instances where some notable names were forced to miss some games due to an ailment that can be traced back to a strange incident, and Devils star Jack Hughes recently became the latest member of that club when he underwent surgery after injuring his hand on a glass that shattered during a meal at a steakhouse at Chicago ahead of a showdown with the Blackhawks.
It took less than a week, but another NHL player has been welcomed into the fold in the form of Eetu Luostarinen.
Eetu Luostarinen has been listed as week-to-week after being hospitalized for burns suffered during a “barbecue accident”
The Devils will be without Hughes when they face off against the Panthers on Thursday night, and in an interesting twist of fate, Florida will also be down a man due to a freak injury that has impacted a player who was (somewhat ironically) on a bit of a hot streak.
Eetu Luostarinen had posted ten points in 11 games before he was scratched ahead of Monday’s showdown with the Canucks due to a lower-body injury. It didn’t appear that unspecified ailment was going to keep him out for an extended period of time, but on Wednesday, head coach Paul Maurice said he’s now expected to miss at least a few games due to the burns he suffered in what was described as a “barbecue accident.”
Eetu Luostarinen is week to week after suffering burns during a barbecue accident, per head coach Paul Maurice.
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) November 19, 2025
The team didn’t release any specific details, although Jameson Olive followed up that tweet with another that said the 27-year-old (who had been serving as the first-line center for the Panthers) was quickly released from the hospital after he sought out treatment for the burns.