Josh Norris and Zach Benson found the net in the second period, lifting the Buffalo Sabres to a 3–1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night and extending Buffalo’s winning streak to six games.
Peyton Krebs sealed the result with a late empty-net goal, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 26 shots as the Sabres earned their eighth win in the past 11 outings.
New Jersey got on the board first in the opening period when Jack Hughes, playing his first game since undergoing hand surgery, scored at 8:51 to energize the Prudential Center crowd. Skating alongside Dawson Mercer and rookie Arseny Gritsyuk, Hughes beat Luukkonen for his 11th goal of the season. The Devils, however, couldn’t build on the early momentum.
Hughes had missed the previous 18 games after injuring his hand on Nov. 12 and returned with 21 points on the season. New Jersey went 8-10 during his absence.
Buffalo answered early in the second when Norris tied the game just over two minutes into the period. Benson followed later in the frame, scoring at 16:05 to put the Sabres ahead for good.
Luukkonen was sharp down the stretch, highlighted by a key stop on Jesper Bratt midway through the third period to protect the one-goal lead.
Jake Allen made 22 saves for the Devils, who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end. New Jersey also welcomed back Timo Meier, who returned after missing five games while attending to a family matter.
Up Next
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Sabres: Visit Ottawa on Tuesday night.
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Devils: Head to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
