Devils outshoot, outscore the Sabres in second consecutive defeat.

Score: Sabres 1, Devils 3

Shots: BUF: 18, NJD: 37

Buffalo Sabres Goals: Tage Thompson (1)

New Jersey Devils Goals: Seamus Casey (1) PPG, Paul Cotter (2), Timo Meier (1)

Minus 1: Biased Officiating Strikes Again

Almost seven minutes into the opening period, Devils forward Brenden Dillon hit JJ Peterka in the face, forcing him out of the game. Alex Tuch quickly responded by dropping the gloves with Dillon. The refs gave both players five minutes for fighting, while Dillon sat in the box for just two extra minutes with a minor penalty. Rob Ray called the slap on the wrist penalty a “joke”.

Once again, on-ice officials practiced a double standard when it came to hits. If the situation were reversed, does anybody believe the zebras would give a Buffalo player a two-minute minor for a dirty hit like Dillon’s? Sabres’ fans know the answer and they’re beyond sick of the NHL’s biased officiating.

Plus 1: TNT Puts Buffalo on the Board First

After a 0-0 first period, with the Devils outshooting the Sabres and getting multiple scoring opportunities, Tage Thompson finally broke the impasse midway through the second, poking the puck past New Jersey goalie Jake Allen. Thompson’s poker gave Buffalo some life, forcing the Devils to respond.

No. 72 suffered a production decline last season, so watching him get an early goal is a hopeful sign of more to come. It’s also nice to see TNT get creative with his puck-handling skills, instead of always shooting 20 feet from the net.

Minus 2: Poor Play on Offense, Defense Dooms Sabres’ Comeback

Sabres’ fans had high hopes for 2024-25, thinking maybe, just maybe the Blue and Gold would start this hockey year strong. They were disappointed, watching Buffalo blow the season opener, 4-1 in Prague and then losing the rematch 3-1. New Jersey dominated throughout, outshooting the visitors in all three periods.

The score was tied until the third, when Paul Cotter beat Devon Levi with a wrist shot 7:18 into the final 20 with an assist with Jack Hughes. With 5:48 to go, Timo Meier wrapped the puck around while Levi was on the opposite side of the net, getting a wide open goal to make it 3-1 Devils and putting the game out of reach.

Mad28dog had the Comment of the Game: “That was ugly…and inevitable”. The Devils controlled the game throughout, getting multiple shots on goal and forcing the Sabres to play most of the matchup in their own zone. The Blue and Gold struggled to clear the puck and spent the majority of their time trying to block shots instead of getting pucks to New Jersey’s net. Watching the game, viewers knew sooner or later the Devils would open up the scoring, which they did in the third, while the Sabres failed to answer.

Plus 2: Levi Gets an E for Effort

Buffalo backup goalie Devon Levi was one of the Sabres’ few bright spots in this contest, blocking 34 of 37 shots and being tested repeatedly during 60 minutes. No. 27 carried the team on his back most of the day, doing his best to keep the game from getting out of hand. Unfortunately, Buffalo’s D hung him out to dry and his netminding wall finally crumbled midway through the final period. If the Sabres shore up their defense and limit the number of shots on net, Levi can be a reliable goalie, giving the team breathing room in breakaways and helping take away opponents’ scoring chances.

Final Thoughts

This definitely wasn’t the season start the Sabres or their fans wanted, flying home after back-to-back losses in Prague. It’s even more humiliating for head coach Lindy Ruff, who watched the team he previously coached beat his Sabres and made New Jersey’s managers look smart for canning him. Ruff and the roster have to lick their wounds and get back to work, because it’s a long season and will be even longer if they can’t find an answer.

The Buffalo Sabres host the L.A. Kings on Thursday night in their first home ice opener. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. at KeyBank Center.

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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!