NEWARK, N.J. _ A good play by the Devils and a bad play by the Devils had the game against the Buffalo Sabres knotted up early on. It would have been knotted up again in the third period if not for a successful goaltender interference call on the part of New Jersey, allowing them to hang on to a 2-1 lead for the win Monday night at Prudential Center.
Less than two minutes after Pavel Zacha broke a 1-1 tie with a power play goal, Evan Rodrigues tied the game at 2. But the Devils challenged for goalie interference, citing a tie-up in the crease in front of Cory Schneider. The challenge was successful and the tying goal was taken off the board.
Schneider made 45 saves, Blake Coleman scored a power play goal in addition to Zacha and Miles Wood scored an empty-net goal.
The power play has been a glaring weakness for the Devils all season but with Zacha, Kyle Palmieri, Nico Hischier and Miles Wood back from injuries the man-advantage units have been far more productive. It won them this game. The Devils scored two power play goals for just the ninth time this season and the first time in six games.
It was newly-minted power player Blake Coleman who was penalized and then converted on the power play in the first period, coming from down low to the net and burying a chance against goalie Linus Ullmark just 1:55 into play.
But midway through the first, Sam Reinhart was trying to dump the puck back into the Devils' zone from the red line. The puck took a bad bounce and beat Schneider. It was another bad gaffe to add to a season full of them for New Jersey but this time the Devils were able to overcome it when Zacha scored his career-high 12th goal in the third.
Zacha beat Ullmark with a quick wrister from the left circle for his third point in as many games.
Despite the fact that both of these teams have been eliminated from playoff contention they still pushed hard to the end. With 6:37 left, Connor Carrick was whistled for a hold to put the Sabres on a power play but the Devils killed it off. Even after Wood's empty-net goal with 1:25 left to play the Sabres kept the extra attacker on the ice and appeared to tie the game again but it was waved off because the puck was batted in with a high stick.
