Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each notched a goal and two assists, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night, breaking their six-game losing streak.
Hughes scored his sixth goal of the season to give New Jersey a 3-2 lead in the third period after the Sabres failed to clear the puck. Yegor Sharangovich, who assisted on Hughes’ goal, scored 2:22 later, making it 4-2.
“You need your best players to make a difference, and Jack made a difference for us,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “I know it was a three-point night, but he could’ve had a couple more. We count on him for a lot.”
Bratt’s goal gave the Devils a 2-0 lead in the first period, following a power-play goal by Dougie Hamilton to open the scoring.
“We want to be a leading line and create scoring chances whenever we’re on the ice. We want to bring a lot of energy to the team,” Bratt said about playing with Hughes and Sharangovich.
The Devils played their first game since a 3-2 home loss to Pittsburgh on Dec. 19, missing Tomas Tatar and Jimmy Vesey, who are in COVID-19 protocol.
“We were in a pretty big hole with the losing streak, so it was important to get a few days to refresh and come back excited,” Hughes said. Starting off with a win is huge for us.”
The Sabres played their first game in 12 days after four straight postponements. Six players and head coach Don Granato were missing due to COVID-19 protocol, and Buffalo returned to action after their last game, a 3-2 overtime loss at Pittsburgh on Dec. 17.
“Looking back on successful games, we found a rhythm and played a certain way,” Sabres assistant coach Matt Ellis said. “Tonight felt slightly off, but the battle and compete levels were there.”
Tage Thompson scored twice in the second period for the Sabres, his first goal in 10 games, bringing his team-leading total to 12 goals.
“If I weren’t getting chances every game, it would be different,” Thompson said. “You can’t get too low or too high. Just keep working, and they’ll come.”
Buffalo defenseman Ethan Prow scored in his NHL debut.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves for his first win since Dec. 8, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 38 shots for Buffalo.
SABRES DEBUTS
Forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, acquired in the Jack Eichel trade with Vegas, made their Sabres debuts. Tuch was activated from injured reserve. They joined rookie forward JJ Peterka and Prow, who also made their NHL debuts.
COVID-19 ABSENCES
Vesey was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list, leading to the recall of Devils forwards Marian Studenic and Jesper Boqvist from the taxi squad. The Sabres placed defenseman Jacob Bryson on the COVID-19 protocol list and recalled Prow. Buffalo also missed defensemen Robert Hagg and Colin Miller due to injuries.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Friday afternoon.
- Sabres: Visit the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
