On Feb. 2, the New Jersey Devils began their road trip by taking on the Buffalo Sabres. The outcome was bleak, as the Sabres scored three goals in the first period. The Devils began to claw their way back, but ultimately, the Sabres came away with the win, 4-3.
Jack with the Shorty
Jack Hughes has been back on top with his performance. He has scored a goal in his last two games, with the goal in this game being shorthanded.
As Paul Cotter sat for Stefan Noesen’s match penalty, the Devils were down a player for a good chunk of time. Jesper Bratt made sure the Devils didn’t feel that pressure. He was able to steal the puck out of the Sabres’ offensive zone off a missed pass. He out-raced Tyson Kozak who originally missed the pass. Bratt skated towards the net at full speed. Hughes skated up with him, reaching the goal first. Bratt passed the puck up towards him, and he was able to score the final goal for the Devils in this game.
Related: Thompson’s 3-Point Effort Helps Sabres Take Down Devils, 4-3
Despite the Devils’ poor performance in the first period, Hughes tried to rally the team towards the end. It was not enough to put the Devils ahead, and the Sabres walked away with the win. Hughes increased his point total for this season to 61 with this goal. He continues to pace the team in points, just two ahead of Bratt.
Daws Plays in His First NHL Game of the 2024-25 Season
After the Sabres scored their fourth goal of the night, the Devils pulled Jake Allen from the net. In went Nico Daws to defend the crease in his stead.
Daws hit the ice late into the game, only recording 19 minutes of ice time (TOI). He faced seven shots during this time and stopped all of them. He was not going to let the Sabres run away with this game.
This was Daws’ first NHL appearance for the season. He saw time in the crease in 46 previous NHL games between the 2021-22 and the 2023-24 seasons. He has spent the majority of his time goaltending for the Utica Comets, the Devils’ American Hockey League (AHL) team. So far in the 2024-25 season, he has tended the goal in 21 games for the Comets. He has only recorded five wins.
Since Jacob Markstrom is still out as he recovers from injury, Daws is likely to stay with the Devils until Markstrom’s return. They originally called up Isaac Poulter to the NHL but quickly sent him back down to Utica after one game. Poulter has yet to see NHL ice while Daws already has some games under his belt. His experience sets him above Poulter.
Before the start of the season, Daws signed a two-year contract worth $812,500 per season. This will take him until the end of next season, 2025-26.
Playoffs Are Getting Closer
There are only two more months of regular season games and the playoffs are drawing near. The Devils continue to sit in third place Metropolitan Division with 64 points. The Carolina Hurricanes are above them in second with 68, while the Washington Capitals are in first with 75 points. The Capitals are running away with the top spot. The Hurricanes are much closer to catch, as they also surpassed New Jersey in the standings.
The race is getting tighter, as the wild card teams are beginning to also close in on that third playoff spot. The Columbus Blue Jackets are currently in the first wild-card spot with 59 points. Columbus went on a six-game winning streak at the beginning of January. They also had another three-game winning streak to close out the month, but they fell to the Dallas Stars last night. Columbus is closing in with a vengeance. The Devils need to pick up as many points as they can to make sure they lock in their playoff spot.
Continuing the Road Trip
The Devils will head to Pittsburgh, where they will face off against the Penguins on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
