The Devils found their remedy for an 11-game home losing streak: Facing the only team behind them in the NHL East Division standings.
Miles Wood's power-play goal early in the third period lifted New Jersey to its first victory at Prudential Center since Jan. 24, 3-2, over a Buffalo team that now has dropped 12 straight.
Much of the first two periods was marked by play typical of a cellar-dwellers matchup. The Devils weathered sloppy play – plus two Sabres goals in a 57-second span of the second period – to capitalize on a 33-save performance by goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.
Wood tipped home a Jesper Bratt blast from the point with 15:08 to play. That gave New Jersey (9-13-4) not only the lead but its second straight game with a power-play tally, after going eight games without one.
Yegor Sharangovich opened the scoring with the 20th goal by a Devils rookie this season. Sami Vatanen added his first of the season to get them even with last-place Buffalo (6-18-4) midway through the second.
Blackwood's journey back
Two of Blackwood’s best starts in goal this season came immediately after the Devils’ two-week COVID break at the beginning of February.
In the nine starts that followed, the New Jersey netminder allowed at least three goals in each prior to quelling the Sabres.
“Coming back from the layoff, it was just like, try to get yourself going, start to feel good again,” Blackwood said Tuesday before the game.
“But in the last couple of games, I haven’t felt bad; I felt pretty normal,” he added. “But sometimes, pucks don’t stay out of the net.”
Blackwood’s struggles have mirrored those of the Devils, a team that had won just twice in its last 14 games. He was 4-0-1 with a .945 save percentage in his first five starts – which spanned the team COVID layoff – but a 1-8 stretch with an .866 save percentage ensued.
Part of that can be attributed to the fact that Blackwood was the first New Jersey player to contract the coronavirus in January.
“I feel a lot better now," the 24-year-old said, "so I would say [I'm] probably out of the woods and back [to 100%] now.”
“We’re staring at a player that, post-COVID, didn’t look real sharp,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “[He] found a way to play pretty well in a couple games, but it seems to be a little bit of a common thread for a lot of the guys that have come back [from the layoff].”
Getting goalies a breather
One of the tricky things to navigate in this pandemic-altered hockey landscape is something that has become de rigueur in the NBA: Load management. New Jersey has four games per week from now until the end of the season and does not have a weekend day off until Saturday, March 27.
Blackwood played both games of a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back against the Capitals at the end of February, but the Devils have split their last two back-to-backs between Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood.
Wedgewood also started the first two games of last week’s three-city road trip.
“This year, especially, the games come at you hot and heavy,” Blackwood said. “Whenever you get a couple days… to have a little reset, that was pretty nice, just for me and my game.”
“We’re trying to work on things that are important for him,” Ruff said, “but at the same time, trying to get him rest where he doesn’t spend too much time on the ice.”
Blackwood seemed sharper in Saturday’s start against the Islanders, stopping 26-of-29 shots and helping the Devils take a 2-1 lead into the third period against the East Division leaders.
“It looked like he had energy, it looked like he was anticipating reading plays, was quick to pucks,” Ruff said. “He started to look like the old Mackenzie.”
The Blackwood of 2018-20 allowed fewer than 2.80 goals against per game, and last season, he posted a record of 22-14-8.
“I have no doubt in my mind that he’s going to return to top form,” Ruff said. “Part of that is, we have to play well in front of him, too.”
