For the first time all season, the Devils are pointless in three straight games. Special teams were partially to blame again on Tuesday night.
Victor Olofsson scored an early power play goal and the Devils lost their way late in the game in a 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Devils came into the game with the worst penalty kill in the league and it cost them against the Sabres.
Rasmus Asplund and Dylan Cozens scored less than two minutes apart in the third period to turn a close game into a clunker. But Devils' winger Nikita Gusev prevented the shutout by scoring in the final minute of regulation.
The Devils (6-6-2) peppered shots at Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark in the first period, but flirted with danger at points all night.
Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson almost scored in his professional debut when he rang a shot off the left post with under three minutes left in the first period.
The Devils survived another scare just before the first intermission when Damon Severson blocked a Taylor Hall rebound that seemed ticketed for the empty net.
When the second period began, the Sabres came out firing. Olofsson and Jack Eichel hit the post moments apart on the same power play and finally took advantage on the next man-advantage.
Olofsson blasted home a one-timer from the right circle with Mackenzie Blackwood unable to slide across the crease in time. The goal came with only seven seconds left on the tripping call to Sami Vatanen.
It's the fourth straight game in which the Devils have allowed a powerplay goal. In that span, the Devils' kill has allowed seven goals on 10 tries.
"There's a lot of different factors," coach Lindy Ruff said before the game. "Lack of practice time, you could use it as an excuse. Some of it has been our inability to kill the play when we've had the opportunities."
One challenge for the Devils is how much turnover there has been on special teams. Of the eight players they used most last year while short-handed, only four are back this season. Ruff said he's hoping to develop some chemistry by solidifying who their forward pairs will be.
"It's a learning process," Ruff said. "I want to develop some of these young guys into penalty killers and I think they are up for the task."
The Sabres took a 2-0 lead on a fluky play at 5:16 in the third period. A point shot bounced off a skater in front and Rasmus Asplund batted the puck out of mid-air into the Devils' net.
Rookie Dylan Cozens made it 3-0 at the 6:50 mark when Taylor Hall fed him a no-look pass from behind the net.
With the loss, the Devils now have a points percentage of .500 exactly one-quarter into this condensed season. They are tied for the fewest points in the East Division with the Sabres.
The Devils will complete a home-and-home series with the Sabres on Thursday at KeyBank Center.
"I like the team we have right now," new captain Nico Hischier said before the game. "If we play our game, you can see we can put a lot of pressure on the teams in our division."
