For a while, all was right in the Devils Universe.
The lineup was finally at full strength with the return of Travis Zajac and the season debut for new captain Nico Hischier.
Even MSG broadcaster Steve Cangialosi came back in the fold after battling COVID-19 for the last few weeks.
But the Buffalo Sabres spoiled the party at Prudential Center by handing the Devils a 3-2 loss on Saturday afternoon. The Sabres blocked two shots in the final seconds to hold off a furious third period comeback. That snapped a four-game losing streak for the Sabres, who had fallen to the bottom of the East Division.
The Devils had won two in a row since returning from a 15-day COVID-19 shutdown.
The biggest news came before the game when the Devils named Hischier the 12th captain in team history. The Swiss center missed the first 11 games of the season after suffering a leg injury during offseason training.
"Obviously it's a huge honor," Hischier told the MSG crew after the first intermission. "It's a privilege to be a captain of this organization and lead the team. We obviously have some other great leaders in there too that help me out. It felt surreal."
Buffalo's Colin Miller broke the scoreless tie about five minutes into the game with a shot from the right point. Matt Irvin doubled the Sabres' lead early in the second period when his point shot found its way through traffic.
A holding call against Dmitry Kulikov also came back to haunt the Devils. The Sabres capitalized on the power play when Jack Eichel found Sam Reinhart alone in front. Reinhart tipped the puck past Mackenzie Blackwood to give Buffalo a 3-0 lead.
The Devils finally got on the board 40 seconds into the third period when Kyle Palmieri scored his third goal in two games. Jack Hughes split the Sabres defense and dropped a pass to Palmieri by the left circle.
Pavel Zacha almost got the Devils within a goal when his deflection caromed off the right post.
But the Devils cut the Sabres lead to 3-2 with 3:16 left when P.K. Subban blasted a one-timer on the man advantage.
