Linus Ullmark delivered a stellar performance with 41 saves. Victor Olofsson notched his sixth power-play goal of the season, helping the Buffalo Sabres secure a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
Rasmus Asplund and Dylan Cozens scored early in the third period, breaking the game open and handing the Devils their third consecutive loss. Cody Eakin added an empty-net goal in the final second.
This victory marked the Sabres’ second win against the Devils in three days and only their second in the last seven games (2-5-0). The team had previously lost to the Islanders on Monday night.
Sabres coach Ralph Krueger noted the game’s intensity, given the close standings between the teams.
“It felt like a playoff game with everyone so close in the standings,” Krueger said. “The team responded well to the pressure we put on them, and Linus led the way. He played like a top-tier NHL goalie in a game that really mattered to us.”
Mackenzie Blackwood made 33 saves for New Jersey, but Ullmark’s shutout bid was spoiled when Nikita Gusev scored with 28 seconds left.
“We started the third period strong, but their goal took some wind out of our sails,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “We had five or six great chances in the first period, but their goalie was outstanding. We needed more traffic in front of the net.”
Ullmark, making his fourth consecutive start, held off an early surge by New Jersey and got some help from the post on a P.K. Subban point shot in the third period. He made two crucial stops in the final minute before conceding a goal.
Buffalo’s power play, ranked third in the NHL, continued to excel in the second period. Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart both hit the post on their first power play, and Olofsson scored his seventh goal of the season on the second, with another post shot by Eichel.
“We were just kind of laughing, honestly,” Olofsson said. “We hit two posts and had several great chances, so we knew it would come if we kept moving the puck like that. And it did.”
Asplund, who was called up earlier in the day following Tobias Reider’s injury, batted a deflected puck out of the air to extend the lead to 2-0 at 5:16 of the third period. It was his first goal of the season and second of his 32-game career.
Cozens made it 3-0, finishing a close-range play set up by a great pass from former Devil Taylor Hall.
SKINNER BENCHED
Sabres forward Jeff Skinner, who had yet to score in 14 games, was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Coach Krueger stated that Skinner is being given time to watch from the sidelines, emphasizing that the decision was not disciplinary.
INJURY WOES
Earlier in the day, the Sabres announced that William Borgen would miss up to two months with a broken right forearm. He sustained the injury in the first period against the Devils on Saturday but finished the game. Buffalo also lost defenseman Jake McCabe for the season due to a major knee injury in the same game.
The Sabres were already without top defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who is out indefinitely due to COVID-19.
Jacob Bryson was called up from the taxi squad and made his NHL debut, playing alongside Colin Miller on defense. He nearly scored, hitting the post with a first-period shot.
UP NEXT
- The teams will face off again on Thursday, this time in Buffalo, for their third meeting since Saturday.
“We just have to stick with it,” said New Jersey’s Nico Hischier regarding the recent losing streak. “Try not to get too down and go to Buffalo and win the next game.”
