In Newark, Linus Ullmark made 41 saves as the Buffalo Sabres handed the New Jersey Devils a 4-1 loss on Tuesday night.
Rasmus Asplund had a goal for the Buffalo Sabres
“Guys were helping me out a lot, keeping the opponent on the outside, letting me have some easy saves,” Ullmark said. “As soon as you kind of get into the groove, it just kind of takes over and you don’t really think about it.”
The Sabres have defeated the Devils twice since returning to play from COVID-19 protocols.
“It was just a gut feel that [Ullmark] was in a good space and this was a really important game for us today,” Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger said. “It was a playoff feel coming into this game today … the meetings this morning, this afternoon, everybody was really edgy and focused.”
Nikita Gusev scored the lone goal for the Devils.
“We’ve just got to keep working, believe in our plan,” Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. “We missed some great opportunities. Nico [Hischier] had a breakaway in the second period (with 18 seconds left). I think we’ve got to finish on those opportunities. We’ve got to concentrate on what’s made us effective to this point and just keep pushing forward.”
Victor Olofsson gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead in the middle frame.
“We just kept it simple,” Olofsson said. “The bodies were a little bit tired, but we kept it smart. [Ullmark] saved us a lot of times. He played a really good game. It was a solid performance overall.”
Rasmus Asplund and Dylan Cozens pushed the lead to 3-0 in the third period before the Devils got one back.
“Even if I wanted to tell you how it all happened (late in the third period), I don’t really know myself because I was basically going back and forth, trying to keep the puck out,” Ullmark said.
Cody Eakin added an empty-net goal to ice the Devils out.
“We’re just happy the team responded to that kind of pressure we put on them today, and [Ullmark] led the way,” Krueger said. “He looked like a real leader today and a top-rate NHL goalie in a game that really mattered to us.”
Mackenzie Blackwood made 33 saves in the loss.
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