All About The Jersey - New Jersey Devils vs. Buffalo Sabres: Game Stream #42A world class blog for Jersey's team: the New Jersey Devilshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47083/lou-fave.png2015-01-06T23:58:57-05:00http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/rss/stream/72629062015-01-06T23:58:57-05:002015-01-06T23:58:57-05:00Elias Reached 1000 Pts.; Devils Beat Sabres, 4-1
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<img alt="The star of the night, Patrik Elias. The latest player to reach the 1,000 point mark." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lbwxPsOXhtzn9vzlgKsDC4IpvJc=/0x0:3084x2056/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45169048/usa-today-8316086.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The star of the night, Patrik Elias. The latest player to reach the 1,000 point mark. | Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Legendary New Jersey Devils forward hit the 600 assist and 1,000 point milestones with a goal and two assists in the Devils' 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres. This recap focuses on that, a dominant first period, and what happened afterwards.</p> <p><span>Patrik Elias</span> has been part of the foundation for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a> since 1999. He's become the all-time leader in goals, assists, and points for the franchise. Tonight, he hit two more milestones in his long career. Elias scored one goal and picked up two assists in the 4-1 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.diebytheblade.com/">Buffalo Sabres</a>. The points were important. The goal was the game's first, a re-direction of a Mike Cammalleri shot that beat <span>Jhonas Enroth</span>, put him just one behind the mark of 400 goals. His pitchforking of a loose puck sprung <span>Travis Zajac</span> for a shorthanded breakaway that he converted was his first assist, the 600th of his career. The clearance shortly after Enroth was pulled became the secondary assist on <span>Mike Cammalleri's</span> game-icing empty net goal. That was his 1,000th career point, which makes Elias the 82nd player in NHL history to hit quadruple digits in the points column, all of them with New Jersey. This puts the exclamation mark on the "Yes" answer to whether the team should retire #26 in the future. The legendary Devils forward had a fantastic night and his efforts helped the Devils get a win tonight.</p>
<p>Elias was the hero of a mixed performance by the Devils. The good parts were at the start. The New Jersey Devils were absolutely dominant in the first period. They were doing whatever they wanted to the Sabres in the neutral zone. If the Sabres got an offensive opportunity, it's because an attempted zone exit was blocked. Those were rare as the Devils kept coming at them. Elias' early goal set the tone. Enroth made a number of impressive stops to keep it a one-goal game. That didn't last when <span>Jordin Tootoo</span> - yes, Jordin Tootoo - fired a laser over Enroth's left shoulder before the halfway mark of the period. The Devils continued to swarm as the Sabres just were trying to get out of the period. They got a power play and not only did the Devils give them nothing (no shots) but Elias sprung Zajac for a breakaway goal. As a final sign of dominance, the Devils got a late power play and spent nearly all two minutes of it on the attack. Between Elias and Cammalleri sending multiple passes through the middle of the ice and the Sabres just at a standstill, it was if they didn't know how to defend a 1-3-1 formation. It was the best power play possible without scoring. The Devils finished the period with twenty-five total attempts on net to the Sabres' five. The Sabres' performance at that point could be summed up two letters: P-U.</p>
<p>Whatever Ted Nolan in the locker room, though, changed their mood for the second period. The Sabres were noticeably more aggressive going after loose pucks. The Devils had a number of passes picked off and poor decisions on defense, which led to multiple odd man rushes and crashes at the crease. The Devils were just sloppy with the puck, particularly in their own end against Buffalo's forechecking. <span>Cory Schneider</span> was excellent at warding them all off for sometime, but the Sabres would get one and nearly a second in the second period. The one was a power play blast by <span>Mikhail Grigorenko</span> near the high slot that went off the inside of the post and in. The near second were with those chances and one lateral shot that nearly went off Schneider's back and into the net. While the Devils had some bursts of offense, it was reminiscent of many games in the past - particularly the ones where leads were blown.</p>
<p>The third period was an amalgamation of the first two. The Devils started off hot and looked to put the game away in the first seven minutes or so of the period. Buffalo was back to just dumping pucks away and hoping they could get a desperate stop. Eventually, the Devils' started erring at moving the puck and the Sabres began to have more life after going a long time without a shot on net. Their forechecking hit home, their defensemen were keeping pucks in play, and they were finding their teammates on the weakside. <span>Philip Varone</span> was a thorn in the Devils' side all night long (5 shots!), and he nearly made it a one goal game around the halfway mark - only to be denied by the post. The Devils would settle the game down in subsequent minutes. Cammalleri sealed it with an empty netter and the game was just played out, late power play not withstanding.</p>
<p>I'm pleased with the 4-1 result. I'm very happy I got to see Elias play like Elias did when he was younger and set some history for himself and the team as no Devil registered 1,000 points for the organization before him. I enjoyed the first period, which I would argue was one of the best of the entire season by the teams. But this wasn't the decisive win the score would indicate because of the sloppy play after the first. I know score effects come into play with leads. I respect that Buffalo wasn't going to lay down for sixty minutes and just muddle through the game. But the Devils could have been sharper and it's those stretches of play that result in leads getting lost and it partially explains why the team is where it is right now. I'm not saying the Devils should have crushed Buffalo for three periods like they did in the first; but they could have been smarter. Nevertheless, they were saved by Schneider and some luck, and the lead was preserved.</p>
<p><b>The Game Stats: </b>The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/GS020584.HTM">NHL.com Game Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/ES020584.HTM">NHL.com Event Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/PL020584.HTM">NHL.com Play by Play Log</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/SS020584.HTM">NHL.com Shot Summary</a> | The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/TH020584.HTM">NHL.com Devils Time on Ice Log</a> | The <a href="http://naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20142015&game=20584" target="_blank">Natural Stat Trick Corsi Charts</a></p>
<p><b>The Opposition Opinion: </b>Please visit <a href="http://www.diebytheblade.com/">Die by the Blade</a> for an opposition-based opinion.</p>
<p><b>The Game Highlights: </b>From <a href="http://www.nhl.com" target="_blank">NHL.com</a>, you too can see Elias' milestones being reached in this game highlight video:</p>
<p align="Center"><iframe height="395" width="640" frameborder="0" src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=2014020584-X-h"></iframe></p>
<p><b>Elias Was Great, So Were These Devils: </b>A number of Devils had standout performances other than #26. Let's quickly go over who I noticed that had a strong effort on the ice.</p>
<p>I really liked how <span>Adam Larsson</span> played tonight. He got 23:35, the most ice time on the team, and even got regular shifts on the power play and penalty kill. He was very good on the puck and didn't make too many errors. He was solid with <span>Andy Greene</span>. While tonight's opponent was the Sabres, this gives me confidence in a Greene-Larsson first pairing for the next few weeks. If Larsson can have more nights like this, then it's going to be a fun decision as to where to place <span>Damon Severson</span> when he returns.</p>
<p>While they didn't register a point, I liked most of what I saw going forward from <span>Adam Henrique</span>, <span>Scott Gomez</span>, and Jaromir Jagr. Henrique and Jagr each had three shots, and that line nearly scored a couple of times tonight. The only blemishes was that Jagr took a silly hooking penalty that turned out to be costly and they were sloppy like everyone else in the second.</p>
<p>Mike Cammalleri had a very good night. He wasn't very good centering a line against Philly, he was much better with Zajac and Elias tonight. Elias and Cammalleri especially crushed it from a possession standpoint. He ended up with four shots on net, two attempts blocked, the set up for Elias' goal that started it, and the empty netter that essentially ended the game. That's a very good performance and it makes me hopeful for more in the future.</p>
<p><span>Michael Ryder</span> had his typical foibles, such as not helping on defense and not making some smart decisions with the puck. The difference tonight was that he got the puck on offense more than just a handful of times. He got three shots on net out of ten attempts. Since I'm always bagging on Ryder by stating that if he's not shooting, he's not helping, I can't ignore that as a positive. Granted, I would've preferred more of those pucks on net, but it's far superior to the nights where he doesn't register more than one or two attempts - and those don't hit the net either. He was at least more helpful than <span>Dainius Zubrus</span> and <span>Tuomo Ruutu</span> tonight. Pro-tip for the future, Ryder, don't try to shoot when two Sabres are in your way at the blueline.</p>
<p>I am still kind of in shock that Tootoo scored the goal the way he did. It was just a fantastic shot. The fourths weren't bad at all and any night where they get a goal without getting messed up is a good one for them.</p>
<p>Lastly, Schneider is very good. He has the post to thank for stopping that Varone put-back in the third, but after a handful of odd man rushes and shifts where the Devils looked like, well, the Sabres, he made more than his fair share of bailout saves.</p>
<p><b>Who Wasn't So Good for the Devils: </b>I didn't like the Zubrus, Ryder, Ruutu line as a whole. They struggled the most in that sloppy second period, particularly against Grigorenko, <span>Cody Hodgson</span>, and <span>Nicolas Deslauriers</span>. I don't know if we'll see a change there for Thursday since the Zajac line was productive and the Gomez line was threatening. We'll see.</p>
<p>I wasn't such a big fan of <span>Mark Fraser</span> or <span>Seth Helgeson</span> tonight. Whereas Fraser was solid in his conservative play against Philly, he took a few more chances tonight and got burnt a few times. Seeing Marek Zidlicky back defending odd man rushes wasn't a good sight, though Schneider made the stops and Zidlicky at least dissuaded a killer pass. Helgeson was just "there," which isn't a good sign for someone who has an opportunity to make his case. Once Eric Gelinas returns and <span>Peter Harrold</span> is good to go, we may not see either for much longer.</p>
<p><span>Jon Merrill</span> continues to befuddle me in general. Some shifts or games, he looks like another Andy Greene. Others, like tonight, he would do questionable things. Several times, he would attempt clears or passes out of his own end into traffic or with Sabres in the way. He struggled with the forecheck. He wasn't confident on offense to contribute much, and so he didn't with not even a shooting attempt. I don't know if these are signs of a developing player, signs that he's not going to develop into much of one, or just an off night. I'll choose the latter - for now.</p>
<p><b>Mea Culpa: </b>I wasn't happy that the Devils did not sell out against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.broadstreethockey.com/">Flyers</a>, and so I suggested in my last recap that salespeople should be worried for future games like a Tuesday night against Buffalo. Tonight, they got a very good and lively crowd. Granted, I think this game was the one for the coat drive vouchers and it was a college night. Still, a legitimate 15,000 plus on a Tuesday night against one of the worst teams in the league isn't anything to sneeze at - comps, promos, or otherwise. Let's hope it continues, especially when it's time for renewals (that's going to be...interesting).</p>
<p><b>Blast the Horn: </b>Long live the fan(s) that bring horns to the game! I'll take off-key noises leading the crowd into chants over pre-packaged "Make some noise" bits and the irritating volume-raising of the goal song any day of the week and twice on gameday. The larger populace loved it, from kids to adults of all ages just like Rock and Roll Part 2. Those bothered by it, I have three words for you: Deal with it.</p>
<p><b>The Return of Bernier: </b><span>Steve Bernier</span> was OK. He didn't do too much wrong. He didn't do too much right, though he got sprung for a one-on-one in the first against Enroth. Bernier put the puck just too high over the top left corner, but at least he had the opportunity. I think he'll be better once he's more used to playing.</p>
<p><b>Again, This Buffalo Team is Bad: </b>As much as the Sabres tried to make a game of it (and the Devils), that first period speaks loudly to how putrid they can be. It was a reminder to everyone that says, "You may want your team to tank, but this is the team that's actually going to do it." And then proceeds to be completely out of position and battle for no pucks. Good on Buffalo for fighting back for the second and a part of the third, but it was not to be largely in part to that first period of brilliant dominance.</p>
<p><b>Since November 14: </b>That date was the last time the Devils won two games in a row this season. I believe a streak requires three games at a minimum. With Boston and the Isles coming up back-to-back, we'll see if the Devils can make one against some better opponents.</p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>Patrik Elias was the star of the night. What did you make of the Devils' performance? Did you think they cruised too much after an amazing first period? Do you think it mattered given the opponent? Who did you think had a great game besides Elias? What should the Devils learn from this game before their next two? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's win in the comments.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who commented in the Gamethread and followed <a href="http://www.twitter.com/inlouwetrust" target="_blank">@InLouWeTrust</a> on Twitter. Thank you for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/1/6/7506679/patrik-elias-hits-600-assist-1000-point-milestones-new-jersey-devils-win-buffalo-sabresJohn Fischer2015-01-06T18:00:02-05:002015-01-06T18:00:02-05:00Devils vs. Sabres: Gamethread #42
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<p>This is the gamethread for today's game between the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres. This is a post where users can discuss what happens before, during, and after the game until the recap is up.</p> <p><strong>The Time:</strong> 7:00 PM EST</p>
<p><strong>The Broadcast:</strong> TV: MSG+, Radio: 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN</p>
<p><strong>The Matchup:</strong> The <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">New Jersey Devils</a> (14-20-7) vs. The <a href="https://www.diebytheblade.com/">Buffalo Sabres</a> (14-23-3) SBN Blog: Die by the Blade.</p>
<p><strong>The Game Previews: </strong>John's preview from earlier <a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/1/6/7490247/new-jersey-devils-vs-buffalo-sabres-game-preview-42" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">is right here.</a> For the opposition's point of view, feel free to drop by <a href="http://www.diebytheblade.com/" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;">Die by the Blade.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.canescountry.com/" style="color: #c8181d !important; text-decoration: none !important; background-color: transparent;"></a><strong>The Song for Tonight: </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSRZz13YiqI">"Skullcrusher" by Iron Claw.</a> Do you ever get in the mood to listen to some really fuzzy early 70's heavy blues rock out of Scotland? You do?!? Well today is your lucky day...</p>
<p><strong>Gameday Info:</strong> <span>Cory Schneider</span> will get the start in net tonight for the NJ Devils. Steve Bernier will return to the lineup but <span>Peter Harrold</span> and <span>Jacob Josefson</span> will not. <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/fireice/">Check in</a> with Tom Gulitti for this and all the latest NJ Devils news.</p>
<p><strong>The Reminder of Rules: </strong>This is a place where you can comment about this game before, during, and after it's played before the recap is up. This is a place where we <em>primarily</em> discuss the Devils game. An odd mention of other NHL games is OK, but it shouldn't dominate discussion. All comments will be clean, respectful of each other, relevant to the game, and legal (read: no streams). Please refrain from super-big pictures (640 x 480 max) and NO .GIFs whatsoever to keep the gamethread moving for everyone. If you do post pictures make sure to post a title in the comment. Go Devils.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/1/6/7503783/new-jersey-devils-vs-buffalo-sabres-gamethread-42JT Sroka2015-01-06T07:00:03-05:002015-01-06T07:00:03-05:00Devils vs. Sabres: Game Preview #42
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<img alt="Expect plenty of Jagr tonight, Mr. Myers." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lO1wukDEH_jWWJQyizlE7q0bXoE=/0x142:3000x2142/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45158430/452673551.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Expect plenty of Jagr tonight, Mr. Myers. | Elsa/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Tonight, the New Jersey Devils will take on a team that will truly battle for last in the league: the Buffalo Sabres. This game preview notes who's back for the Devils (and who's now sick) and why the Sabres are so, so, so bad.</p> <p>Welcome to the second half of the season with this...game.</p>
<p><b>The Time: </b>7:00 PM EST</p>
<p><b>The Broadcast: </b>TV - MSG; Radio - 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN</p>
<p><b>The Matchup: </b>The <a href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Jersey Devils</a> (14-20-7) vs. the <a href="https://www.diebytheblade.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Buffalo Sabres</a> (14-23-3; SBN Blog: <a href="http://www.diebytheblade.com/">Die by the Blade</a>)</p>
<p><b>The Last Devils Game: </b>On Saturday night, the Devils hosted the <a href="https://www.broadstreethockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Philadelphia Flyers</a>. It was a glorious beat down of a performance as the Flyers were just awful and the home team made them suffer. <span>Adam Henrique</span> got a gift from <span>Ray Emery</span> and he got it to <span>Jaromir Jagr</span> for his and the game's first goal. <span>Patrik Elias</span> slid in a one-timer to a convert a first period power play to make it 2-0. In the dying seconds of the first period, Jagr got past <span>Mark Streit</span> and fired one past Emery. Emery was replaced by <span>Steve Mason</span> for the second period, but the goals didn't stop. <span>Scott Gomez</span> blasted one in off a 4-on-2 rush to make it 4-0. Jagr earned his first hat trick since 2006 when he put one in from in close to make it 5-0. The Devils cruised from that point on. <span>Andrew MacDonald</span> and <span>Vincent Lecavalier</span> scored consolation goals but there was never a real threat by the Flyers of making it a game. It was a great victory; <a target="_blank" href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/1/4/7489287/jaromir-jagr-hat-trick-leads-new-jersey-devils-beat-down-philadelphia-flyers">my recap of the game is here.</a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/1/4/7489287/jaromir-jagr-hat-trick-leads-new-jersey-devils-beat-down-philadelphia-flyers"></a><b>The Last Sabres Game: </b>The Sabres headed into Manhattan to take on the <a href="https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rangers</a>. The Rangers took them out. A penalty by Andrej Meszaroes yielded a power play goal by <span>Derick Brassard</span>. <span>Cody Hodgson</span> lipped off after that goal so the Rangers got another power play. And that was converted was by <span>Chris Kreider</span>. Kreider was hooked so there was <i>another</i> power play for New York. <span>Rick Nash</span> scored on that one. A little more than a minute later, <span>Dan Boyle</span> scored an even strength goal to make it 0-4 against Buffalo. The second period featured two quick goals: <span>Carl Hagelin</span> for New York and then <span>Drew Stafford</span> by Buffalo. But the game was simply over in any case. <span>Jesper Fast</span> tacked on a sixth goal to add to it. The Sabres lost 1-6. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.diebytheblade.com/2015/1/3/7488625/sabres-at-rangers-recap-too-many-penalties-too-many-goals">Andy Boron had this quick recap at Die by the Blade.</a></p>
<p><b>The Goal: </b>Don't be stupid and go at the opposition. The Devils are a bad team. The Buffalo Sabres are even worse. I'm going to go into more detail in the rest of this preview, but know that this is a Sabres team that's been abysmal by both basic and advanced stats. This is also a Sabres team that not only lost their last four games, but lost them by scores of 2-5 to Ottawa, 1-5 to Tampa Bay, 0-2 to Florida, and 1-6 to Our Hated Rivals. Provided the Devils don't get too cute or play too loose, they should be able to find their spots and take advantage against a team that's been giving spots away all season long.</p>
<p><b>The Flu!: </b>Mumps are bad, but flu is at least more understandable at this time of the season what with it being the winter and the weather, at least in New Jersey, changing and so forth. <a href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/lemaire-s-devils-visit-nothing-abnormal-gelinas-havlat-have-flu-bernier-ready-schneider-lucky-1.1186385" target="_blank">Tom Gulitti reported at Fire & Ice on Monday</a> that both <span>Martin Havlat</span> and <span>Eric Gelinas</span> have the flu. That would explain their absence - Gelinas has missed the last few games - and it should mean they are out tonight.</p>
<p>However, there is a bit of good news. <span>Jacob Josefson</span> had the flu and he returned to practice on Monday, <a href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/lemaire-s-devils-visit-nothing-abnormal-gelinas-havlat-have-flu-bernier-ready-schneider-lucky-1.1186385" target="_blank">per Gulitti.</a> From <a href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/havlat-gelinas-missing-from-devils-practice-harrold-josefson-bernier-back-lemaire-watching-1.1186288" target="_blank">Gulitti's practice report</a>, Josefson was switching off with <span>Tim Sestito</span> on the fourth line. In a way, I wouldn't be surprised if Josefson is not playing tonight because he is coming off the flu. On the other hand, I do not like seeing Tim Sestito play.</p>
<p><b>The Returns!: </b> Josefson wasn't the only one returning to the team. <span>Peter Harrold</span> and <span>Steve Bernier</span> also practiced <a href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/havlat-gelinas-missing-from-devils-practice-harrold-josefson-bernier-back-lemaire-watching-1.1186288" target="_blank">according to Gulitti.</a> Harrold was struck in the face in the Montreal game and did not return. Bernier hit the boards hard and had to be helped off the ice last Wednesday. Seeing both of them back in action in less than a week is good news even if they are depth players.</p>
<p>I would expect Bernier to play as he was playing on an actual line whereas Harrold was an extra on defense. The latter would mean <span>Mark Fraser</span> and <span>Seth Helgeson</span> will play. The former, well, as much as I like seeing another right winger in the lineup, I don't think he's going to fit so well with <span>Travis Zajac</span> and Patrik Elias. Then again, I don't know if <span>Michael Ryder</span> would be really better. We'll see how it lasts.</p>
<p>As for the opposition, <a href="http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=747220&navid=DL%7CBUF%7Chome" target="_blank">Chris Ryndak at the Sabres' website states</a> that the Sabres are expecting to get Tyler Myers back on defense. The report also has their lines and pairings from Monday's practice.</p>
<p><b>The Goalies!: </b><span>Cory Schneider</span> will start in net, <a href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/lemaire-s-devils-visit-nothing-abnormal-gelinas-havlat-have-flu-bernier-ready-schneider-lucky-1.1186385" target="_blank">confirmed here by Gulitti</a> and that news should surprise no one. <span>Keith Kinkaid</span> will likely get his next start later this week in the back-to-back. <a href="http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=747220&navid=DL%7CBUF%7Chome" target="_blank">Chris Ryndak reported on the Sabres site</a> that the starting goalie for Buffalo will be <span>Jhonas Enroth</span>. Enroth has a respectable <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?season=20142015&gameType=2&team=BUF&position=G&country=&status=&viewName=specialTeamSaves" target="_blank">even strength save percentage of 92.1%, though the penalty kill save percentage of 83.1% is a downer.</a></p>
<p><b>The Opponent is Abysmal! </b>That even strength save percentage is respectable, but Enroth (and his backup Michal Neuvirth) has been facing a ton of shots. The Sabres have the league's highest <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=avgShotsAgainstPerGame&viewName=summary" target="_blank">shots against per game rate average of 35.7.</a> Conversely, the Sabres have the league's <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=avgShotsPerGame&viewName=summary" target="_blank">lowest shots for per game rate average of 23.4</a> - even lower than New Jersey! Unsurprisingly, they are <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=avgGoalsPerGame&viewName=summary" target="_blank">dead last in goals per game</a> (1.78!) and <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=avgGoalsAgainstPerGame&viewName=summary" target="_blank">goals against per game</a> (3.38!). That tends to happen when a team gets out-shot by large margins on a seemingly regular basis.</p>
<p>As you may guess from those extreme values for shots for and against, the Sabres get regularly creamed in possession. <a href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&xaxis=7&yaxis=20&saxis=44&caxis=8&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2015-01-06&splitseasons=1&usedaterange=0&tablegroup=1" target="_blank">Their team Corsi percentage at War on Ice is 37.6% at even strength.</a> That's not a typo, the team gets out-attempted that much. <a href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=5&xaxis=7&yaxis=20&saxis=44&caxis=8&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2015-01-06&splitseasons=1&usedaterange=0&tablegroup=5" target="_blank">At even strength only, they have a SF/60 of 22.4 and a SA/60 of 34.5</a>, the lowest and highest rates respectively in the league. <a href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=2&scoresit=8&homeawaysit=1&shotattsit=1&names=&team=BUF&pos=1&start1=2014-10-01&xaxis=50&yaxis=80&caxis=39&saxis=87&mintoi=0&panel=2&usedaterange=0&start0=20142015&end0=20142015&end1=2015-01-06&splitseasons=0" target="_blank">The Sabres are so bad in possession, again according to War on Ice</a>, they only have three players above 40% Corsi at evens - the best man is <span>Brian Gionta</span> at 41.8% - and none of them are set to play tonight. The only solace is that no one has a really bad or good relative Corsi, but that's because every skater has been getting pinned back significantly over the course of a season. The Devils may not be possession studs like last season, but they should be feasting on the Sabres tonight.</p>
<p>If that wasn't enough, their special teams are also abysmal. Their shooting rates at special teams aren't the worst, but the conversion rates are frightfully bad. <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=powerPlayPercentage&viewName=powerPlay" target="_blank">Their power play has the league's lowest conversion rate at 9%.</a> Because they don't have the puck on their sticks all that often, they are near the bottom in power play opportunities too (28th with 111). On the penalty kill, well, believe it or not but a team that gives up 34+ shots per 60 minutes at evens hasn't been clamping down on their own end of the rink. <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm?fetchKey=20152ALLSAAAll&sort=penaltyKillPercentage&viewName=penaltyKill" target="_blank">They are just ahead of Philadelphia in terms of penalty killing success rate at 74.6%.</a> They don't get penalized a lot like New Jersey, but they're above league median. So I'm not expecting the Devils to really falter in terms of special teams.</p>
<p>Quite frankly, <i>this </i>is a team that has a legitimate chance at Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. The Devils can try as they want, but I don't think they can be nearly as bad as the Sabres for forty games.</p>
<p><b>The Coach of Such a Bad Team!: </b>Ted Nolan is in a weird spot. I suspect he was hired to really get the guys going, do as he wishes, and not have to worry about the results as the team stockpiled picks in the hopes of getting a lot of young talent in short order will make them better. Will Nolan be the coach to put that group together? I don't know. The fact that the team is the only one below 40% in Corsi suggests not. The fans at Die by the Blade have been discussing it month by month; <a href="http://www.diebytheblade.com/2015/1/4/7471907/ted-nolan-approval-rating-december-2014" target="_blank">here's their latest approval rating poll.</a></p>
<p><b>The All Star!: </b><a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=746923&navid=DL%7CBUF%7Chome" target="_blank">The NHL announced the first six all stars to participate in the 2015 All Star Game in Columbus.</a> As it was based on a fan vote, a large part of the entire country of Latvia voted in <span>Zemgus Girgensons</span>. If there's an all star on Buffalo, he's probably a good choice as any. He leads the team with eleven goals, he's second to Tyler Ennis in points with twenty, and he's one of the few players shooting above 10% (14.3%, the other one that's apparently playing is Nicholas Deslauriers). So he's been a stand out of sorts. It also helps he's got a lot of support of his countrymen. Girgensons will center Buffalo's top line with <span>Matt Moulson</span> (7 goals, 10 assists) and Ennis (9 goals, 15 assists). That's pretty much their "power" line, since each player has at least 77 shots on net and each are one of the top four scorers of the team. (Drew Stafford is the fourth man.)</p>
<p>I would expect <span>Andy Greene</span> and <span>Adam Larsson</span> to see that unit a lot. I can hope that Scott Gomez's line gets them and Jaromir Jagr makes them suffer with the power of possession. I am personally hoping for an encore by <a href="http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2015/1/5/7492355/new-jersey-devils-goals-breakdown-jaromir-jagr-hat-trick" target="_blank">Jagr after his awesome hat trick</a>, but I'll take any productive contributions in a winning effort.</p>
<p><b>The Realization That You're Going to Spend Time And/Or Money For This Game!: </b>Yaaaaaa-eeeehhhhh...hmm. Well, it's a Devils game. There's that.</p>
<p>Again, I stand by my notion that as long as the Devils don't play dumb, they should be able to get past the Sabres. This is a struggling opponent that has some hideous underlying numbers. This could be ugly. This could be a rout. As long as it's a win by New Jersey, take it. Because the Sabres may be not so against that happening.</p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>What do you think the Devils will need to do to beat Buffalo? Did you think Buffalo could really be this bad?</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/1/6/7490247/new-jersey-devils-vs-buffalo-sabres-game-preview-42John Fischer