Saturday morning, the New Jersey Devils took down the Buffalo Sabres for the second day in a row, this time 3-1, to advance to 2-0-0 on the season. After falling down 1-0 in the second period, the Devils scored three straight to grab the win.
Recap
Period One
The Devils came out flying in the first period with a flurry of chances that were stopped by Devon Levi, who had a fantastic day despite allowing three goals. Part way through the period Brendan Dillon laid the boom on JJ Peterka who exited the game with a concussion. After a fight between Dillon and Tuch following the hit, the two teams continued to play chippy. The game would however stay locked at zero after one.
Period Two
The second was another solid one for New Jersey. They had a plethora of great chances including a two-on-one from Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt which was denied by Levi. The Sabres would then go the other way, crash the crease, and open the scoring. Tage Thompson shoved the puck by the pad of Jake Allen for a 1-0 Sabres lead.
The Devils went go on the power play soon after where Seamus Casey scored his first NHL goal to tie the game. It was a nasty one as Casey dragged the puck by Tuch and sniped it by Levi. The game would be locked at ones after two.
Period Three
The third is where the Devils finally broke the dam and beat Levi. After the Sabres only collected one shot half-way through the third Jack Huges and Paul Cotter went in on a two-on-one and Cotter buried it off an absolutely beautiful move. To grab some insurance and seal the deal Jesper Bratt would fake a shot, get Levi out of his cage, and then feed Timo Meier who had an open net.
The Sabres would pull the goalie in a comeback attempt, but the game was sealed. The Devils won 3-1 and swept the global series in Czechia.
Game Notes
Goaltending Stepping Up
The Devils got exactly what they needed from their two netminders over the past couple days. Of course on Friday Jacob Markstrom stopped 30-of-31 and saved more than two goals above expected. In the second game of the global series, Jake Allen was solid as well. He didn’t have to face many shots or many high-danger chances, but he post a 0.78 goals saved above expected (GSAx). If the Devils can get this goaltending all year long they should cruise their way to the playoffs. Key word is “if” there.
The Casey Dilema
The Devils have an interesting decision to make coming home from Prague. Seamus Casey, of course, scored a nasty first NHL goal in his second career game, but his overall impacts weren’t great at five-on-five with Simon Nemec.
Thought two games, Casey owns a woeful 31.82 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) and an equally as bad expected goals percentage (xG%) of 36.87. He was great on the power play and in the offensive zone, but with the way Jonathan Kovacevic has played too it’s going to be hard to keep Casey in when Brett Pesce comes back from injury.
What’s Next
The Devils return to North America and ready for their home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. That game is set for a 7:00 pm ET puck drop on Thursday at the Prudential Center.