5 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils

The Buffalo Sabres' last game was all the way back on February 5th when they lost 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a deflating performance, and the hope was that the next time they were on the ice, they could put that behind them.

They had to wait a few weeks to get that opportunity, but on Wednesday night, they did just that as they were able to win 2-1 over the New Jersey Devils. Neither team really was able to get much going in the first period, and it wouldn't be until about midway through the second that the first goal would be scored, which was by Tage Thompson.

In the third, the Sabres doubled their lead as Peyton Krebs scored the second goal. The Devils would make it a one-goal game late in the third, but Buffalo was able to hold on for the win.

These are some of the top takeaways for the Buffalo Sabres from the victory on Wednesday night.

Tage Thompson's patience pays off with his 31st goal this season

Tage Thompson was one of two Buffalo Sabres, Rasmus Dahlin being the other, who didn't have time off as they were playing in Milan at the Olympics. It has been a whirlwind of a few days for Thompson after Team USA won the gold medal on Sunday and left a question mark about whether or not he would even be available for this game.

He ultimately would play and scored the first goal of the game, which was the 31st of the season. The goal itself was a great show of patience as Peyton Krebs found him across the ice and it usually would be a play where Thompson would rip the slapshot.

This time, though, Thompson collected the puck and carried it back into the slot, giving himself a wide-open net after Jake Allen committed to stopping the expected shot from the circle.

Thompson extends his team-lead in goals with his 31st of the season, and going back to before the Olympic break, he has a five-game point streak with three goals and three assists during this stretch.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen shows no rust in first game in almost a month

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was expected to head to the Olympics as part of Team Finland, but suffered an injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs before the break. That injury kept him out of the remaining five regular season games and then forced him to miss the Olympics.

While it certainly would be disappointing to miss the Olympics, the break gave him some much-needed rest, and he was ready to return on Wednesday against the Devils. While some players may have some rust with the extended time away from the ice, Luukkonen didn't show that and stopped 27 of 28 shots, including six power-play shots.

Since the middle of December, Luukkonen has been excellent and has gone 8-2-1 in his last 11 starts. If Luukkonen can continue to play at this level, with how good Alex Lyon has been this season, the Sabres are going to have a formidable goalie duo that they can hopefully lean on through the rest of the season.

Peyton Krebs showing why he is a key part of this roster

The Buffalo Sabres did get Josh Norris, Josh Dunne, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen back in the first game back after the Olympic break, but were still without Zach Benson. The former first-round pick has primarily been playing on the top line, and his absence is certainly felt.

However, a player like Peyton Krebs helps fill that void and had a solid performance in his place against the Devils. Krebs finished the game with the one assist on Thompson's goal, and then Thompson returned the favor, setting up Krebs for a goal in the third period.

He is not a player who should be a permanent fixture on the top line, and when everyone is healthy, he is a great fit as the center on the fourth line. Although the skill set he possesses allows him to move up when needed and make an impact, as he did against the Devils.

Sabres' power play struggles against the Devils

It has been a running theme all season as the Buffalo Sabres' power play is a non-factor. In the game against the Devils, they had three power play opportunities with no goals and were only able to muster two shots on goal with the man advantage.

There were actually a few instances where they turned the puck over, and the Devils had great short-handed opportunities that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had to come up big to stop.

The Sabres certainly have the talent to be a good power play team, as Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson showed that in the Olympics with goals. However, something is not working for this team, and it is something that the coaching staff has to keep working at trying to solve.

Jason Zucker-Ryan McLeod-Jack Quinn lead the way generating high-danger chances

The Sabres rolled out a new line of Josh Norris at center with Josh Doan and Noah Ostlund on the wings, but it was actually the line of Jason Zucker, Ryan McLeod, and Jack Quinn that made the biggest impact. These three combined for eight high-danger chances in 5v5 situations according to Natural Stat Trick, with the other three lines only combining for five.

While it didn't result in any goals, this type of mentality of getting pucks to the net will be something that should help the Buffalo Sabres down the stretch. This is a line that the Sabres were using before the Olympic break and should look to keep together with the success they had against the Devils.

The Sabres continue the road trip on Friday against the Florida Panthers before playing the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.