Buffalo 5, New Jersey 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, March 24, 2023
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees:
Ghislain Hebert, Kendrick Nicholson
Linesmen:
Mark Shewchyk, Andrew Smith
Attendance:
17101
By Field Level Media
Alex Tuch scored twice in the second period Friday night for the host Buffalo Sabres, who kept alive their flickering playoff hopes by withstanding a third-period rally by Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils in a 5-4 victory.
Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn scored in the first for the Sabres (34-31-6, 74 points), who snapped a four-game losing streak and won for just the third time in the past 13 games (3-8-2).
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves as Buffalo moved within six points of the idle Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with three teams between them.
Yegor Sharangovich and Kevin Bahl scored in the first and Hughes twice in the third for the Devils (45-19-8, 98 points), who lost for the fifth time in six games (1-3-2) and missed a chance to clinch their first playoff berth since 2018.
Goalie Akira Schmid was chased after allowing three goals on the first seven shots he faced for New Jersey, which also missed an opportunity to tie the idle Carolina Hurricanes atop the Metropolitan Division. Vitek Vanecek recorded 17 saves in relief.
Cozens scored 6:29 into the first, and Thompson beat Schmid on a breakaway just 39 seconds later. Sharangovich cut the gap in half at the 9:07 mark before Quinn extended the lead to 3-1 by firing a shot over Schmid's glove from point-blank range at 10:55.
Bahl pulled the Devils within a goal again with 1:14 remaining in the first. His shot from the edge of the left faceoff circle glanced off Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and fluttered past Luukkonen.
Tuch scored back-to-back goals in a span of just under 12 minutes in the second, when his shot from the right faceoff circle sailed beyond Schmid's glove at 4:50. He tallied on the power play with 4:22 left in the middle period.
Hughes began the Devils' comeback bid in earnest 5:20 into the third when his shot from the middle of the right faceoff circle sailed under Luukkonen's stick arm. The New Jersey center cut the deficit to one goal again by scoring on the power play with 10:27 left in the game.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| New Jersey |
|
Buffalo |
|
Jack Hughes 3 |
Points |
Alex Tuch 3 |
|
Jack Hughes 2 |
Goals |
Alex Tuch 2 |
|
Damon Severson 2 |
Assists |
JJ Peterka 2 |
|
Jack Hughes 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Alex Tuch 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Vitek Vanecek .895 |
Save Percentage |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen .871 |
|
Vitek Vanecek 17 |
Saves |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 27 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| New Jersey
|
31 |
4 |
1-3 |
3-4 |
8 |
28 |
| Buffalo
|
26 |
5 |
1-4 |
2-3 |
6 |
31 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against NY Islanders. The Sabres have a W/L % of .576 after a win and .395 after a loss.
-
New Jersey will play their next game at home against Ottawa. The Devils have a W/L % of .630 after a win and .615 after a loss.
For more information, contact us