With three of the Devils’ top six forwards returning from injuries or absences, the New Jersey Devils (20-15-1, 5th Metropolitan) fell 3-1 to the Buffalo Sabres (16-14-4, 7th Atlantic) Sunday night at the Prudential Center.
First Period
The game got off to a slow start as five whistles came in the first minute-and-a-half, but the Devils quickly found their footing as the period rolled along. Timo Meier got a good chance in one of his first shifts returning from his leave of absence, and Nico Hischier contributed to a strong offensive shift. The Devils’ top six drove the offense and kept goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen active through the period.
Buffalo came back at New Jersey with a strong shift of their own. Rasmus Dahlin got a flukey chance midway through the period when the puck bounced to him to create a two-on-one, but Jake Allen snuffed it out. The Devils came back with high-danger chances from Jack Hughes and Timo Meier soon after, but they still couldn’t break through.
It wouldn’t be long before they did break through, however, and who else to do it but Jack Hughes. With possession of the puck, Hughes circled high in the offensive zone, powered down to the hashes, and sniped a wicked wrist shot past Luukkonen while Dawson Mercer screened him. It was a huge goal for Hughes after returning from a month-long stint on injured reserve, and it showed in his celebration.
Arseny Gritsyuk nearly made it 2-0 a few minutes later. He came in with speed alongside Jack Hughes, dropped it back to him, received a quick pass back in front of an open net, but Luukkonen got across to make a highlight-reel save to hold the Devils to a one-goal lead.
The Devils continued to press, and Timo Meier drew a high-sticking call on Zach Benson to give the Devils their first power play of the night. Buffalo finally touched it up with 10 seconds to play in the period, delaying the Devils’ power play to the second period.
Second Period
The Devils started the second period on the power play. They got a few scoring opportunities, with Timo Meier getting the best chance from a sharp angle, but the Sabres’ top-ranked penalty kill got the job done. Buffalo came back with a strong offensive shift after the kill. Josh Doan got a net-front chance that Allen froze.
But Allen couldn’t stop the next chance from Josh Norris. Powering his way to the net with bodies all around him, Norris shot it into Allen’s pad, dug it out, and scored on the second chance to tie the game. The Devils took a timeout to assess a possible goaltender interference challenge, but they played it conservatively and held onto their challenge.
The Sabres had all the momentum after finding the scoresheet, and they hemmed the Devils in shift after shift, preventing New Jersey from getting fresh legs on the ice. Whenever the Devils did clear the puck, they couldn’t get anything done in transition or in the offensive zone.
Zach Benson gave Buffalo the lead late in the period. He came in on a two-on-one, waited for Allen to blink, and tucked it in the five-hole to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead. The Devils stopped the bleeding after conceding the lead, but couldn’t find the back of the net before the end of the period.
Third Period
The Devils came out much stronger to start the third period. Cody Glass had a chance directly in front of Luukkonen, but found his pad instead of the twine. The Devils continued to put the pressure on, but Buffalo’s defensive structure held, and the Devils had to play along the boards for most of the time while they were in the offensive zone.
New Jersey had a plethora of chances throughout the period, and really should have scored on one of them if not for Luukkonen’s strong play in Buffalo’s net. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt had a strong shift halfway through the period, and Bratt almost scored on another chance as he got in behind the defense a few minutes later.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe pulled Jake Allen with 2:45 to play, giving the Devils an extra attacker for a last-gasp effort. Bratt nearly capitalized on a net-front scramble, but that would be the Devils’ last real scoring opportunity. As the puck bounced out of the offensive zone, Peyton Krebs was there to pounce on the empty net for Buffalo, icing the game and handing the Sabres a 3-1 win.
Result
The cavalry arrived for the Devils, but it was the same old frustration last night. They played 40 minutes of good hockey and had a feel-good moment with the Hughes goal, but 40 minutes wasn’t good enough against Luukkonen and the Sabres. Last night left a bad taste after a strong couple of games against Vegas and Utah.
Game Notes
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the difference maker for Buffalo. He stopped 26-of-27 shots for a .963 SV%. Luukkonen’s success represents a familiar trend for New Jersey of not finishing against subpar goaltenders. Prior to last night, Luukkonen had an .885 SV% and -1.87 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
- Jack Hughes had a solid first game back from injury with a goal, and Sheldon Keefe did not waste time easing him back in, leading Devils forwards with 20:57 of ice time.
- Jesper Bratt had a good game despite not finding the scoresheet, notching three shots on goal and generating a few high-danger chances that didn’t find the net.
Up Next
The Devils will head to Long Island to take on the Islanders on Tuesday at 7:00 pm ET.