Buffalo Sabres Opponent Outlook: New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils will look to rebound this season after finishing last year 20 points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Can they fire things up this season in hopes of securing their first playoff spot since 2012?

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The Devils finished last season 13th in the Eastern Conference. A 78-point season saw them put up a record of 32-36-14, including a 5-7 record in shootouts. The Devils went 19-14-8 at home and 13-22-6 on the road.

Last season, the Devils came away with three wins against the Buffalo Sabres. In each game, the Sabres managed just one goal.

The first meeting of the season was a January 6th game in New Jersey. Mikhail Grigorenko scored for Buffalo, but New Jersey came away with a 4-1 win. Patrik Elias, Jordin Tootoo and Travis Zajac scored for the Devils, while Mike Cammalleri tallied an empty-netter to seal the win.

Jhonas Enroth had 24 saves in the loss; for New Jersey, Cory Schneider stopped 20 shots.

Just about a month later, the teams met again in New Jersey. Tyler Ennis scored Buffalo’s goal this time around, assisted by Zemgus Girgensons. Elias score New Jersey’s lone goal in regulation. The teams took things to a shootout, and Scott Gomez tallied what would end up being the game-winning goal.

Michal Neuvirth stopped 34 of 35 shots faced, while Schneider had 24 saves in the win.

The last meeting of the teams saw the Devils pick up a 3-1 win in Buffalo on March 20. This time, it was Matt Moulson who scored for the Sabres, with Ennis and Brian Gionta notching assists. Steve Bernier notched a pair of goals, while Tootoo also scored.

Anders Lindback stopped 24 of 27 shots faced for the Sabres, while New Jersey’s Keith Kinkaid had 28 saves.

The Devils largely stayed away from the trade front this summer, but brought in a few players via free agency, including most recently, Jiri Tlusty. They also brought in John Moore from the Arizona Coyotes and David Schlemko from Calgary, and re-signed Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas and Seth Helgeson.

Departures: Steve Bernier and Joe Whitney, both off to the New York Islanders for the 2015-2016 season.

The Devils are one of the Eastern Conference teams that the Sabres won’t see too much of, as the teams face off just three times – the same as last season. It begins October 24 when they face off at First Niagara Center; they’ll meet again in Buffalo on December 15 and close out the season series on April 5 in New Jersey, one of the Sabres’ last few games of the regular season.

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