While the rest of the NHL wrapped up the preseason, the New Jersey Devils went to Prague and promptly went four points up on everyone else. With a new coach at the helm, and a new goaltender between the pipes, the Devils won 4-1 on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday. The other team involved, the Buffalo Sabres, boarded the plane with empty pockets, starting yet another season behind the eight-ball. The Devils and Sabres will both have their home opener on Thursday.
Markstrom, Devils Dominate First Two Periods in Season Opener
Last season, the Devils’ goaltending was a disaster, and the coach took the blame for an underachieving campaign. Well, they promptly hired one of the winningest head coaches in the last five years and the best goalie available on the trade market. Through two games, everything goes according to plan.
On Friday, Jacob Markstrom stopped 30 pucks on 31 shots as the Devils’ beat the Sabres 4-1 at the O2 arena in Prague, Czechia, as the 2024 NHL season started with the Global Series. With the game at 2-0, Sabres forward Aube-Kubel had a wide-open net and the perfect opportunity to close the gap on the New Jersey. Markstrom quickly showed the Devils’ fans what they have to look forward to with a beautiful behind-the-back save to keep the Sabres off the board. The Sabres would eventually break through in the third period as Owen Power scored Buffalo’s lone goal.
On a team full of scorers, it was the depth that broke through for the Devils’ on Friday. Nossen, Cotter, and Kovacevic were the unexpected goal-scorers for New Jersey, while sniper Nico Hischier got on the board as well. Coach Keefe was impressed with his team’s efforts after a shaky preseason. “We’ve been working hard,” Keefe said. “Like I said, it didn’t really come together for us in the preseason, but the signs were there. We’ve had some really good practices since the preseason concluded, and the guys were excited to play, and it showed.”
After the Devils’ controlled much of the play in the first two periods, the Sabres came back to life and had a terrific third period, outshooting New Jersey 13-4 in the final frame. Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin was encouraged by his team’s opening performance. “They scored on their chances and took advantage of their chances,” Dahlin said of his opponents game. “We had a couple early too, so the start could have gone either way, but it’s a good learning lesson for us. We’ve just got to continue to build. We’ve got some stuff to work on.”
Devils Complete Global Series Sweep on Saturday
On Saturday, the end result wasn’t too different from the day before. The Devils outshot the Sabres 37-18 en route to a 3-1 victory to complete the Global Series sweep. Jake Allen made 17 saves in his season debut, while Jack Hughes had his first two points of the year in the form of assists. Rookie Seamus Casey scored his first NHL goal, while Meier and Cotter put the puck in the net as well.
Paul Cotter scored only seven goals in 76 games last year and already has two under his belt in 24-25. “It’s big,” Cotter said of his team’s start. “It’s the start of the season and toward the end of the year, every team knows it could be a matter of two points, one point, so these are the ones that count.”
While goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had some shaky moments in game one, this loss was not on his counterpart, Devon Levi. Levi made 34 saves and had little help offensively. Tage Thompson scored the lone goal for Buffalo. “We just got to find a way to bear down and get another one,” said Thompson of Buffalo’s offensive performance. “For the most part, one goal is not going to win you a game. We know that and we’ve got to find a way to score more.”
Final Thoughts
Last year was a massive step back for New Jersey Devils after making it to the playoffs and winning the opening round against the Rangers in 23-24. Heading into 24-25, they needed a goalie and they needed a coach. Check and check. As great as it is to start the season with four points, the team is expected to make a serious run not just in the regular season, but in the playoffs, and they’re off to a great start.
For Buffalo, they have missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons. Sure, it’s early, the season just started, and clearly, not all is lost. However, for a fanbase that is crushed every year, this was not the start they hoped for.
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