The first true road trip of the season saw the Devils on a quest for their first point in almost a week. It took some extra efforts and some shifts of overtime, but New Jersey left the ice on Saturday with a point during a 4-3 shootout loss. Jack Eichel was the only player from either side able to score in the shootout, chipping one off the post in the first round for the game-winner.
Jesper Bratt had a chance to end the game in overtime with a breakaway, but was unable to keep a handle on the puck. In the shootout, Bratt nearly tied things, but was denied with an attempt that just hit the goalie pad of Linus Ullmark. The Sabres goalie stopped all three Devils shots in the shootout, including a similar play against Kyle Palmieri to end the game.
Five penalties tested the Devils, who have been less than stellar at times in killing off penalties. The biggest test was a late penalty that put the Sabres on a power play in the final 1:52 of the third period. All but eight seconds were killed off in regulation to earn the Devils their eighth point of the season.
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Janne Kuokkanen had been a contributor in every aspect except for the scoresheet for the Devils through training camp and leading into the season. That changed on Saturday as a hard-working shift led to a chip in for Kuokkanen that found the net and tied the game at three with just over five minutes left in the third period.
"I felt really good," Kuokkanen said. "We've been struggling lately with scoring, so I was happy I was able to help the team."
In his 20th NHL game, the majority of those with the Devils, Kuokkanen's third-period goal was the first of the career for the 22-year old.
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Andreas Johnsson came into the NHL with a great deal of excitement, but injuries cooled things down for the young winger. Now in New Jersey and looking to show what he's capable of, Johnsson has been searching for his first goal with the Devils. On Saturday, Johnsson lifted the puck from a Jack Hughes pass and put it over the left shoulder of Ullmark. It gave the Devils a quick 2-1 lead in the third period before Tobias Rieder tied the game 41 seconds later.
Johnsson is two years removed from a 20-goal season in Toronto that had him in contention for the Calder Trophy. Now with his first goal as a Devil, the 26-year old Johnsson is on the board.
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For the first time since his trade to Arizona, former Devil Taylor Hall took on his former team on Saturday. The only Hart trophy winner in Devils history was traded to the Coyotes in December 2019 for a package that included current Devil Nick Merkley and multiple draft picks.
Hall was involved in the first goal of the afternoon as the primary assist for Eric Staal's third goal of the year to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead in the second period. Hall also was involved in two sequences that led to power plays for the Sabres. In the first period, Johnsson was sent to the penalty box for interference on Hall.
More importantly, a third-period hooking call on Ty Smith against Hall led to a power play that the Sabres converted on to take a 3-2 lead. Hall also had an assist on that power play goal by Victor Olofsson.
