*Photo from the New York Post*
Needing to end a losing streak with a fresh start after the break, the New Jersey Devils went to the former number one overall pick. Jack Hughes scored, Jesper Bratt scored, and the Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-3 win on Wednesday night in Buffalo.
The Devils start the post holiday break schedule the right way, with the one goal win snapping a 6 game losing streak prior to the break, also having lost 15 of their last 18 games, being outscored by opponents 26-12 in that stretch. The leaders were Hughes and Bratt, each scoring a goal and dishing two assists to have duel 3 point nights.
Hughes said of the fresh start after the break that "I think we were in a pretty big hole there, so for us to get a few days just to refresh and come back to the rink excited, it's a big deal. I think we were all pretty excited coming back and then to start it off with a win, that's huge for us."
First year Devil Dougie Hamilton started the scoring on the power play, tallying his 7th goal of the season 4:43 into the game, with Hughes and Nico Hischier getting the assists. Up next was Bratt, scoring his 9th of the season at the 11:48 mark, making it 2-0 Devils on assists from Hughes and PK Subban.
In the second period, Tage Thompson got the Sabres off to a quick start, scoring his 11th goal of the season just 33 seconds into the period, cutting the deficit to 2-1 on assists from Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch. Thompson scored again at the 3:17 mark, tying the game 2-2 with Dahlin nabbing the lone assist.
Getting the Devils on the board to start the 3rd period was Hughes, making it a 3-2 lead with assists from Bratt and Yegor Sharangovich, his 6th goal of the season. At the 6:50 marker it was Sharangovich who converted, scoring goal number 5 on the season, increasing the lead to 4-2 thanks to assists from Bratt and Ty Smith. Ethan Prow scored his first NHL goal for the Sabres to make it a 4-3 game late, but that was all Buffalo could muster.
Asked about Hughes's performance as of late, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said that "You need your best players to make a difference for you and Jack made a difference for us. Coming back from a real tough injury, I think it takes a little bit of time to get back in rhythm, but I thought he did a lot of great things. I know it was a three-point night, but he could've been in on a couple more opportunities. We count on him for a lot."
Making the start in goal for the Devils and being credited with the win was Mackenzie Blackwood, who did just enough to keep the Devils in the game all night. Blackwood saved 19 of the 22 shots on goal that the Sabres sent his way, good for a .864 save percentage. With the win, Blackwood's record bumps up to a 6-6-3 mark in 16 starts this season.
On the other side of the ice, making the start and taking the loss for the Sabres was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who did his best to keep the Sabres in the game. Luukkonen turned aside 38 of 42 shots the Devils sent towards him, posting a .905 save percentage. With the loss, his record drops to 2-3-1 in 6 starts this season.
Sabres assistant coach and acting head coach Matt Ellis said "The guys battled. The battle and the compete was there. The execution at times, you said it, it was definitely sloppy. It took us a little while to get into the game and even at that point just finding a true rhythm to the game. Tonight it felt a little bit off, but the battle level was there, the compete was certainly there."
The Sabres are right back in action on Thursday night as they complete the second half of a back to back, with Malcom Subban starting in net as they take on the New York Islanders. The Devils host the Edmonton Oilers for a new years eve clash on Friday night, with Blackwood the likely starter.
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