The New Jersey Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 in Prague to kick off the 2024-25 NHL season. The Devils controlled the pace through the first half of the game and endured a late push by the Sabres to earn Sheldon Keefe his first victory as their head coach. With the win, New Jersey grabbed a 1-0-0 record to start the year on the right foot. The Sabres and former Devils head coach, Lindy Ruff, fell to 0-1-0.
Game Recap
Period One
The Devils came out flying with strong early pressure. Erik Haula was tagged for a slashing penalty at 1:37, but New Jersey’s penalty kill held the Sabres without a shot.
After a strong forechecking shift, Stefan Noesen notched the first goal of the regular season at 8:39 in his return to New Jersey. Johnathan Kovacevic tallied his first point as a Devil with the assist.
The Devils got a power play opportunity midway through the period. Despite some great chances, they couldn’t beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in net.
The Devils extended their lead at 15:38 with Kovacevic’s first goal in New Jersey, a heavy shot from the blue line that was deflected in off a Sabres player. Jonas Siegenthaler and Dawson Mercer collected the assists.
Jacob Markstrom came up huge for the Devils in net with two remarkable and timely saves on high-danger attempts to preserve the two-goal lead.
The Devils outshot Buffalo 11-7 in the first period.
Period Two
Thanks to the Devils’ forecheck, New Jersey added a third goal at 3:29 after another forced turnover. Nico Hischier buried a chance from the slot with assists for Nathan Bastian and Paul Cotter.
New Jersey killed two more Buffalo power play opportunities in the middle frame to keep their lead at three.
The Devils were outshot 11-8 in the period.
Period Three
The Sabres got on the board at 10:07 with a goal from Owen Power. JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram had the assists.
After a period of primarily defense, New Jersey iced the game with an empty netter from Cotter at 17:28 for his first goal as a Devil. Bastian added an assist for his second point of the game.
New Jersey was outshot 31-23 but earned a 4-1 victory.
Takeaways
Offseason Additions Pay Off
The new acquisitions made their presence known in game one and were a glowing reflection on Tom Fitzgerald’s busy offseason. In his first game back with New Jersey, Noesen tallied the opening goal thanks to a heavy forechecking shift, an area that Keefe focused on in preseason and practice. Cotter, acquired in the Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid trade, collected a goal and an assist, as well as two hits in his Devils debut. On defense, Kovacevic had a stellar performance with a goal, an assist, and three blocked shots. Markstrom backstopped the effort with 30 saves on 31 shots and a 2.49 GSAx.
Special Teams
The Devils found themselves in the penalty box four times during their first game. Ideally, the penalty trouble will be cleaned up as the season progresses, but on the bright side, the Devils’ penalty kill was spotless in its four attempts. In particular, the penalty killers were noticeably better at clearing the zone to relieve pressure, something that was problematic at times last season.
As for the man advantage, New Jersey had some good looks but wasn’t able to find the back of the net in either of the two power-play attempts. This year, the Devils look to correct a power play unit that ranked in the middle of the pack last season and was fairly inconsistent.
Up Next
The Devils are right back in action on Saturday when they face the Sabres in the second and final game of the Global Series in Prague, Czechia.
Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. EST on MSG Networks and the NHL Network.
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