New Jersey
Game #2 Preview: New Jersey Devils vs Buffalo Sabres
The Essentials:
Matchup: The New Jersey Devils vs. Buffalo Sabres
Date: October 5, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM ET
Broadcast: NHLN, MSGSN, MSG-B
Listen: Devils Hockey Network
Last Devils Game: On October 4, 2024, the Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 4-1. See Jackson’s recap here.
The Lineups:
It is no secret that these rosters are basically locked for this trip to Prague. I expect the Devils and Sabres to maintain the same lineups as Friday’s game except for the goalies. Jake Allen will likely be the starter for the Devils and Devon Levi for the Sabres. Both head coaches will want to give their teams time to shake off any remaining rust and reestablish chemistry before addressing any potential issues. See Buffalo’s lines from Friday’s game below:
Offense
Peterka-Thompson-Tuch
Benson-Cozens-Quinn
Greenway-McLeod-Zucker
Malenstyn-Lafferty-NAK
Defense
Dahlin-Jokiharju
Byram-Power
Samuelsson-Clifton
(per Lance Lysowski and Natural Stat Trick)
Matchup to Watch:
Tage Thompson was the Sabres’ leading scorer in 2023-2024, but the top line struggled in game one. The Sabres’ line of JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch posted a Corsi For Percentage Relative (CF% Rel) of -18.23 (per Natural Stat Trick at 5-on-5). I’m not a big stats or analytics guy, but that is not good. Not surprisingly, the Devils played their top defensive pairing of Dougie Hamilton and Brenden Dillon against the Sabres’ top line for most of the game. It is nice to have a healthy Dougie Hamilton back! Both defensively, matching up with a big guy like Thompson, and offensively by getting shots on net through traffic. Will the Hamilton – Dillon duo have the same success in game two?
Devil to Watch
Head coach Sheldon Keefe showed a lot of confidence in Seamus Casey in his regular season debut. Casey was given the opportunity to quarterback the second power play unit in the final seconds of the first power play. I’d like to see the rookie get the same opportunity on Saturday. I thought he played well at both ends of the ice on Friday and can’t wait to see what he can do once he feels comfortable at the NHL level.
Adjustment for Game Two
The issue I have chosen is minor and it may just be me, but the holding penalties drive me crazy. The Devils had three holding penalties and a “slashing” call on Erik Haula. That was not a slash, but that is a separate conversation. There is no reason to take a hand off the stick to grab at an opposing player. I have flashbacks of my youth hockey coach yelling to move your feet instead of reaching or grabbing. As I said, it is minor and the penalty kill played well, but I hope they eliminate the holding penalties moving forward.
The Devils had everything go their way on Friday and let’s hope that continues.
Your Thoughts
What will you be watching for? Will Hamilton and Dillon get the best of the matchup against Thompson’s line again? What did you think of Casey’s play in game one? Thank you for reading and GO DEVILS!
Justin Murphy has defeated Robert Lebovics, Richard Tabor and Alex Zdan in New Jersey’s 2026 primary election for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.
The Associated Press declared Murphy the winner at 11:25 p.m., , with Murphy leading the other GOP candidates with 33% of the vote. Murphy will face Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Cory Booker in November’s general election. Booker ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Justin Murphy is a former committee person in Tabernacle, a small town in the Pine Barrens of Burlington County. He dedicated his campaign to the men and women of the U.S. military and said he was running because he cares about the culture of America, parental rights, health care and economic opportunity.
Murphy, who is an attorney, said his top priorities include private sector growth, tax cuts and spending reductions. He said during his campaign that he is committed to standing up to terrorism and crime, he supports securing the country’s northern and southern borders and intends to fight for energy independence if elected.
He also pledged to work to ensure older residents have an excellent Medicare program and said he will fight to keep the Jersey Shore “windmill free.”
During his campaign, Murphy said China poses a serious threat to the U.S., but he supports engaging with the Chinese from a position of strength, politically and economically. He also said on his website that he opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana. He ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2024 and finished in third place.
Here comes the midterms: Murphy to face Booker in November
Booker was elected to the Newark City Council in 1998, then served as the mayor from 2006 until 2013, when he won a special election for the U.S. Senate seat that was left vacant following the death of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Booker was reelected the following year in the general election and was victorious in the 2020 general election.
Booker, a frequent critic of the Trump administration, has recently called for the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark to be shut down and has strongly opposed the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to house an immigrant detention center in Roxbury Township.
Last year, Booker made the longest speech in the history of the Senate, lasting 25 hours and five minutes.
He is considered a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate and has introduced legislation to significantly expand the standard tax deduction for singles and married couples, which would lower taxes on low- and middle-income wage earners. Booker grew up in North Jersey and graduated from Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan.
According to the most recent statistics available, there are 6,679,849 registered voters in New Jersey. There are 2,535,718 registered Democrats, 1,677,041 registered Republicans and 2,467,092 independents and others. The general election is Nov. 3.
New Jersey
Shooting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, leaves suspect dead, 2 police officers injured, mayor says
A shooting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has left a suspect dead and two officers wounded Tuesday, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said.
The shooting happened in the area of the 100 block of North Florida Avenue. Chopper 3 was over the scene, where a large police presence could be seen.
The conditions of the two officers weren’t immediately available. According to Small, the two officers were executing a search warrant.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 10:20AM
PINE HILL, N.J. (WPVI) — Six people were taken to the hospital after escaping a house fire in Pine Hill, Camden County, on Tuesday.
Firefighters responded to the home in the 100 block of Erial Road around 1 a.m.
When crews arrived, they found heavy fire conditions in all four areas of the home, including the basement with people trapped inside.
Officials say all those residents, including some children, were able to make it out of the home.
They were taken to the hospital for evaluation. There has been no word on their conditions.
Fire officials said it took crews about 40 minutes to get the blaze under control.
There has been no word on what caused the fire.
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