The Devils were poised to have a successful end to the season series against the Buffalo Sabres this week, but Tuesday was not the start they had hoped for. A 5-3 loss to the last place team in the East Division derails a lot of the momentum the Devils were hoping to obtain in the season's final stretch and could very well dash any fleeting hopes of a playoff run by New Jersey.
"It came down to, for me, small plays," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "We put the puck in the middle of the ice and got scored against. We'd go long stretches playing pretty well and then turn another puck over."
The Devils led in each of the first two periods, including a Pavel Zacha goal that gave the Devils a 3-2 lead in the second period. Yet Buffalo struck back with game-tying goals both times and took the lead in the third period on a Casey Mittelstadt power-play goal. Rasmus Ristolainen netted a goal in the final two minutes to put the game out of reach for the Devils.
Scott Wedgewood faced only 17 shots in his first start since March 26, but costly turnovers in their own zone and two power plays allowed in the third period did not help Wedgewood from keeping the Devils in the game.
"You look at our puck management tonight and you look at almost every goal that was on the hands of our stick and we turned pucks over," said Ruff. "We didn't execute. We had some opportunities to increase the lead and didn't."
'We have another gear'
The Devils had a quality chance in the final seconds of the first period as Nick Merkley was taken down on a break towards the goal. It led to a power play for the Devils and a quick strike that tied the game before intermission.
A shot from Pavel Zacha went off of Travis Zajac's stick, as well as Jesper Bratt's skate, before going into the net. The goal counted and was credited to Bratt, his fifth of the season. The goal went past the line with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock and Bratt did not kick the puck, which made it stand.
That was one of the last times that the Devils were able to control that well offensively as the Sabres took control in the second period and led to a lead they would not lose in the third. For Bratt and the Devils, they need to do more.
"We need to be better as a group," Bratt said after the game. "I think the compete level wasn't where it should be. It's a hard division and you've got to compete and want to win more than the other team. I think we have another gear and we have to fix that for the next game.
Breaking the Tyce
Tyce Thompson was excited to make his NHL debut Tuesday night with his older brother on the opposing team. On the second shift of his Devils career, Thompson put a shot on net and resulted in a Damon Severson goal on the rebound.
"It was definitely special," Thompson said. "It was crazy with emotions, excitement, nerves. But I thought the guys in the room did a good job of keeping me calm and just enjoying the moment and having fun out there."
It gave the rookie a point in his NHL debut, a feat last achieved by Ty Smith in the team's season opener back in January.
"I liked his energy," Ruff said. "For me, it was a good game for your first NHL game."
