New Jersey 5, Buffalo 3
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees:
Stephen Walkom, Francois St.Laurent
Linesmen:
Pierre Champoux, David Brisebois
Attendance:
18690
By SportsDirect Inc.
Patrik Elias collected a goal and an assist and Ilya Kovalchuk returned from a five-game absence to net a power-play tally as the New Jersey Devils recorded their fifth win in seven outings with a 5-3 road triumph over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
After being sidelined with a groin injury, Kovalchuk ended a seven-game goalless drought to give New Jersey a 2-0 advantage at 5:21 of the first period. The Russian stickhandled around a defender, skated into the left faceoff circle and wired a shot into the top right corner of the net.
Elias, who assisted on Kovalchuk's tally, collected his seventh of the season just 3:09 into the third period to give the Devils a 4-1 lead. Petr Sykora slid the puck into the right faceoff circle for Elias, who blasted a shot past Jhonas Enroth.
Captain Zach Parise recorded his second shorthanded goal of the season, rookie Adam Henrique notched two assists and Martin Brodeur turned aside 29 shots for New Jersey.
Tyler Myers tallied twice - his first two goals of the season - after serving as a healthy scratch on Monday for the first time in his career.
Enroth fell to 6-1-0 on the season and 13-1-1 in the calendar year of 2011 after stopping 14 shots on Wednesday. The Swede, who was pulled midway through the third period, is expected to start multiple games while former Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller recovers from a concussion.
Top Game Performances
| New Jersey |
|
Buffalo |
|
Patrik Elias 2 |
Points |
Tyler Myers 2 |
|
Patrik Elias 1 |
Goals |
Tyler Myers 2 |
|
Adam Henrique 2 |
Assists |
Matt Ellis 1 |
|
Ilya Kovalchuk 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Tyler Myers 1 |
|
Zach Parise 1 |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Martin Brodeur .906 |
Save Percentage |
Drew MacIntyre 1.000 |
|
Martin Brodeur 29 |
Saves |
Jhonas Enroth 14 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| New Jersey
|
21 |
5 |
1-4 |
3-4 |
8 |
25 |
| Buffalo
|
32 |
3 |
1-4 |
3-4 |
8 |
29 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Sabres have a W/L % of .545 after a win and .714 after a loss.
-
New Jersey will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Devils have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .625 after a loss.
For more information, contact us