New Jersey Devils: 3 Positives from Win Over Sabres to Build Upon

The New Jersey Devils have been in a tough skid, losing seven out of nine games prior to their matchup with the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. Throughout November, the Devils have dropped lower and lower in the standings, eventually landing just above the bottom team in the Metropolitan Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets. A painful 2-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on Friday night felt like rock bottom.

Saturday was a whole different game, one the Devils can build off of. They turned on the firepower during their captain’s return to the lineup and steamrolled over the Sabres 7-2. The Devils held the Sabres to just 12 shots the entire night. The Sabres scored two goals, making Vitek Vanecek’s SV% for the night an .833. To be fair, both were power-play goals, but the win won’t do his SV% any favors.

This was the Devils’ most dominant victory of the season, one that the team and fans hope will right the ship and send them off on a tear. The Devils have an awful lot of ground to make up in the standings, but Saturday night’s win chipped away at the mountain. Here are three positives from the win over the Sabres that the Devils can build upon.

1. Nico Hischier brings balance to the lineup

Nico Hischier is the captain of the Devils for a reason. It was abundantly clear that his presence helped get his team back on track after a miserable stretch. He missed 11 games following an illegal check by Buffalo’s Connor Clifton that left Hischier with an upper-body injury. Ironically, it was Buffalo that New Jersey played again in Hischier’s return to play.

Hischier looked comfortable and locked in on both sides of the ice. He collected a goal and an assist in his first game back. Hischier won 64% of his faceoffs. He centered Ondrej Palat and Jesper Bratt, and their line produced six points collectively.

The Devils looked lost without Hischier and were a much stronger team with him back. Having Hischier center a line allowed not only his line but other lines to return to familiar pairings that worked. The team looked more energized, more aggressive, and more focused. “When we play four lines, bring the effort, that intensity, then we play Devils hockey,” Hischier said after the game. With Hischier back, the Devils can now focus on playing a more balanced game.

2. The win was a complete game/complete team effort

The Devils haven’t played many complete games this season. Often, they look like two or three different teams throughout the game. They have a tendency to fall behind early (a holdover from last season) and not show up until it’s too late. Saturday night was different.

The team showed up and played hard from start to finish. The Devils were the better team for the whole game. Their four goals in the first period tied a season-high for the Devils. Their 5v5 play was the strongest it’s been all season. The defense looked the best it has all season, holding the Sabres to just three shots in the first period. The Devils outshot the Sabres 38-12.

For sixty minutes, the whole team found ways to get involved, whether it was on offense or defense, or both. Eight different players had a multi-point game, including Dougie Hamilton, Nico Hischier, Alexander Holtz, Jesper Bratt, Tyler Toffoli, Dawson Mercer, and Luke Hughes. The Devils didn’t have to rely on one player or one line. Everyone pitched in to come away with a huge win. Now, the key is maintaining consistency in playing a complete game.