New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres
· National Hockey LeagueJake Allen stops 42 shots, Arseny Gritsyuk scores 2 in Devils' 5-0 win over Sabres
Nico Hischier, Brenden Dillon and Paul Cotter also scored, and the Metropolitan Division-leading Devils snapped a three-game road skid.
The shutout was Allen’s first since a 34-save outing in a 4-0 win at Montreal on Feb. 8. And the 35-year-old goalie improved to 8-4 this season while bouncing back from allowing six goals on 35 shots in a 6-3 loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 22.
The Sabres were shut out for the third time this season. Alex Lyon stopped 18 shots in his first appearance since being yanked after allowing two goals on three shots in an eventual 6-3 loss at Colorado on Nov. 13.
Hischier opened the scoring 12:07 into the first period. Timo Meier’s pass from behind Buffalo's net hit Sabres forward Alex Tuch, and the puck flipped into the air before landing in the crease, where Hischier tapped it in for his fifth goal and ninth point in four outings.
Gritsyuk scored 7:45 into the second period by converting Dawson Mercer’s pass from behind Buffalo's net. Dillon and Cotter, with a breakaway goal, sealed the win by scoring less than four minutes apart in the third period.
The game opened with Buffalo forward Tage Thompson seeking to settle any lingering differences he had with Stefan Noesen by engaging the Devils forward in a 30-second fight. They squared off during a faceoff 2 1/2 minutes in their first meeting since Noesen leveled Thompson with an elbow to the head in February.
Both received five-minute fighting majors.
Sabres: Travel to play the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.
Regular Season SeriesNJ leads series 1-0
Scoring Summary
![]() |
Goal | 1st Period 12:07 | Nico Hischier Goal (9) Snap Shot, assists: Timo Meier (12) |
![]() |
Goal | 2nd Period 7:45 | Arseny Gritsyuk Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: Ondrej Palat (2), Dawson Mercer (9) |
![]() |
Goal | 3rd Period 1:39 | Brenden Dillon Goal (3) Slap Shot, assists: Connor Brown (3), Paul Cotter (4) |
![]() |
Goal | 3rd Period 5:22 | Paul Cotter Goal (2) Backhand, assists: Brenden Dillon (6) |
![]() |
Goal | 3rd Period 16:49 | Arseny Gritsyuk Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: Ondrej Palat (3) |
Statistics
NJ |
BUF |
|
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Blocked Shots | 9 |
| 20 | Hits | 24 |
| 8 | Takeaways | 6 |
| 23 | Shots | 42 |
| 0 | Power Play Goals | 0 |
| 1 | Power Play Opportunities | 2 |
| 0.0 | Power Play Percentage | 0.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 32 | Faceoffs Won | 25 |
| 56.1 | Faceoff Win Percent | 43.9 |
| 19 | Giveaways | 19 |
| 3 | Total Penalties | 2 |
| 9 | Penalty Minutes | 7 |
Buffalo Sabres Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Mattias Samuelsson, D | Day-To-Day | Nov 28 |
| Josh Norris, C | Injured Reserve | Nov 25 |
| Michael Kesselring, D | Injured Reserve | Nov 17 |
| Jiri Kulich, C | Injured Reserve | Nov 10 |
New Jersey Devils Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Evgenii Dadonov, RW | Out | Nov 26 |
| Jack Hughes, C | Injured Reserve | Nov 18 |
| Brett Pesce, D | Injured Reserve | Nov 15 |
| Zack MacEwen, RW | Injured Reserve | Nov 13 |
Game Information
KeyBank Center
Location: Buffalo, NY
Attendance: 19,070 | Capacity:
Location: Buffalo, NY
Attendance: 19,070 | Capacity:
2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
New Jersey |
16 | 7 | 33 | 1 |
Carolina |
15 | 7 | 32 | 2 |
Washington |
14 | 9 | 30 | 2 |
Philadelphia |
13 | 7 | 29 | 3 |
NY Islanders |
13 | 9 | 29 | 3 |
NY Rangers |
13 | 11 | 28 | 2 |
Pittsburgh |
11 | 6 | 27 | 5 |
Columbus |
11 | 9 | 26 | 4 |
2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay |
15 | 7 | 32 | 2 |
Montreal |
13 | 7 | 29 | 3 |
Ottawa |
12 | 8 | 28 | 4 |
Boston |
14 | 12 | 28 | 0 |
Detroit |
13 | 11 | 27 | 1 |
Florida |
12 | 11 | 25 | 1 |
Toronto |
10 | 11 | 23 | 3 |
Buffalo |
9 | 11 | 22 | 4 |



NJ
BUF
New Jersey
Carolina
Washington
Philadelphia
NY Islanders
NY Rangers
Pittsburgh
Columbus
Tampa Bay
Montreal
Ottawa
Boston
Detroit
Florida
Toronto
Buffalo