Buffalo Sabres Outlast New Jersey Devils, 3-2

Ryan Miller’s shutout bid is spoiled by Erik Rasmussen with twenty seconds left in the third period of the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Buffalo Sabres had not won a game in New Jersey against the Devils since February 21, 2001. Thanks in large part to Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller the Sabres are now on a one game winning streak in New Jersey. Miller kept New Jersey off the scoreboard until after Buffalo had secured a three goal lead and the Sabres held on for the final minute of the game to knock off the Devils 3-2.

1st Period

New Jersey started the game by dictating play to Buffalo for the first twenty minutes. The Devils out shot the Sabres 15-8 through the first period but Miller stymied the Devils and kept them off the score sheet. The Devils had two terrific chances to take the lead in the period. The first, a shot by Jamie Langenbrunner from the right point, clanged off the crossbar and kicked out. Brian Gionta had a wide open net with eighteen seconds left in the period for the other. Miller dove across the crease to get his stick down and Gionta hit part of Miller’s stick and part of the post with the shot. The teams settled for a 0-0 tie at intermission.

2nd Period

Buffalo’s Jochen Hecht scored the only goal of the second period off of a play that he started. Hecht carried the puck out of the Sabres zone through the neutral zone and into the Devils zone along the right boards. Danny Briere was trailing the play up the middle of the ice. Hecht spotted Briere and backhanded a pass to him. Briere’s wrister from 33 feet out was stopped by Marty Brodeur but Hecht was there to knock in the rebound for the 1-0 lead.

The Devils had a chance to tie the game with just under seven minutes left in the period. With the Devils shorthanded, Jim Dowd had a partial breakaway that was stopped by Miller. Miller poke checked the poke off of Dowd’s stick and the puck was knocked out of the air and wide of the net.

1-0 Jochen Hecht (7th) at 12:05

3rd Period

Buffalo scored two quick goals in first five and a half minutes of the third period and looked like they would cruise to a victory. Both goals were the result of great individual effort by Briere.

Briere set up the second goal by stealing the puck from Brian Rafalski at center ice. Briere rushed down the left hand boards and centered a pass to Max Afinogenov from the face off circle. Afinogenov one-timed the pass from the top of the hash marks and beat Brodeur cleanly; glove side high.

Just over two minutes later Briere set up another goal just like the previous one. After the puck got by Rafalski at Buffalo’s right point Briere outraced him for the loose puck. Briere got control of it in the Devils zone and skated down low on the left hand side. Briere centered a pass to Jason Pominville through the Devils crease and Pominville knocked it into the open side of the net at the right post for the goal. Colin White was defending Pominville but his stick snapped in half just as Briere passed the puck and he was unable to block it.

With a three goal lead Buffalo appeared to be in control of the game. The Sabres let off the gas a bit but the Devils kept pressing. After out shooting the Sabres 8-0 over a four minute span late in the game the Devils finally scored to make it 3-1 at 19:20. Erik Rasmussen’s goal was initially waved off due to a high stick but video replay overturned that call. Dowd’s shot from the right point was stopped by Miller but it deflected high into the air off of his blocker and over his head. Miller could not get to the puck because Rasmussen was blocking him. Rasmussen knocked the puck out of the air into the net with a high stick but the replay showed that his stick was below the crossbar by the time he made contact with the puck.

After the ensuing face off, the Devils pulled Brodeur in favor of an extra attacker with twenty-five seconds remaining. The Devils scored six seconds later to cut the Sabres lead to one. John Madden won a face off against Jiri Novotny in the Buffalo zone. Madden pulled the puck back to Patrick Elias at the left point and Elias fired the puck on net. Brian Gionta redirected the puck with his stick and Miller couldn’t react in time to stop it. The shot went through Miller’s legs to make the score 3-2.

The Devils left Brodeur on the bench but they were unable to get the tying goal. Langenbrunner was called for Hooking with eight seconds left after he prevented Paul Gaustad from scoring into the empty net. With the man advantage the Sabres were able to kill off the final eight seconds and leave New Jersey with a 3-2 victory.

2-0 Maxim Afinogenov (13th) at 3:12
3-0 Jason Pominville (13th) at 5:29
3-1 Erik Rasmussen (2nd) at 19:20
3-2 Brian Gionta (13th) at 19:41

Buffalo finished their five game road trip with a winning 3-2 record. Tonight’s win gives the Sabres 48 points and a 23-5-2 overall record. Buffalo remains in first place in the Eastern Conference but they stay six points behind the league-leading Anaheim Ducks who defeated the Panthers in Florida tonight. The Sabres return home to Buffalo tonight and have Wednesday off before facing the Florida Panthers on Thursday. The Panthers game is a 7:00 PM start.

The NHL Three Stars of the Game

1. Daniel Briere (3 Assists)
2. Ryan Miller (31 saves)
3. Max Afinogenov (1 Goal)

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Snap Shots

- Buffalo went 0-6 on the power play tonight over 9:44. The Devils were successful on the PK by putting two skaters at the red line and two at the blue line or by having all four skaters at the blue line. Buffalo had trouble penetrating the Devils zone and when they did they were unable to get sustained pressure on Brodeur.

- The Sabres PK units were better than their Power Play units again tonight. The Devils went 0-3 over 5:36 with the man advantage.

- Lindy Ruff was rolling all four lines in the first period but he went away from it after twenty minutes. The line of Gaustad, Mair, and Peters was on the ice for six shifts in the first period but only one in the second and none in the third. Mair (8 Shifts, 7:11 TOI) and Peters (7 Shifts, 5:53 TOI) sat out the third period completely but Gaustad (17 Shifts, 12:50 TOI) played the entire game due to the fact the he is used on both special teams units.

- Rookie defenseman Andrej Sekera played sparingly but decently. Sekera got 12 Shifts over 8:51 TOI and finished with a Plus-1 and 1 Blocked Shot.