PRAGUE — The NHL knew how to get the crowd in Prague fired up ahead of the Global Series game between the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils on Friday. After warmups concluded, Jaromir Jagr, one of the greatest Czech-born NHLers of all time, strode onto the ice wearing a suit for the ceremonial faceoff. The crowd loved it and chanted his name whenever he was shown on the video board.
But the Devils and Sabres had to put the theatrics aside to start their regular seasons after a week of build-up to these games. Even though the Devils arrived in Europe five days later than the Sabres did, they were the team that was more ready at the drop of the puck. Stefan Nosen and Johnathan Kovacevic got New Jersey on the board with first-period goals, and Buffalo was never able to recover. Here are some takeaways from the Devils’ 4-1 win over the Sabres.
Markstrom sharp in Devils debut
The Devils’ biggest weakness last season was goaltending, and they brought in Jacob Markstrom to help fix that. He looked sharp in his Devils debut. With New Jersey leading 2-0 late in the first period, Markstrom made a sprawling stick save to rob Nicolas Aube-Kubel. That helped the Devils maintain control of the game, and they cruised from there. Markstrom did allow a goal late, but he finished the game with 30 saves and stopped five of the six high-danger shots he faced. The Sabres actually had the advantage in shots, expected goals and scoring chances in this game, but Markstrom made some key saves early to allow New Jersey to build on its early lead.
JACOB MARKSTROM ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 🤯 #NHLGlobalSeries
A save of the year candidate in the first game of the season!
🇺🇸: @NHLNetwork
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/1UIegYWVc4— NHL (@NHL) October 4, 2024
Familiar issues plague Sabres
The Sabres were one of the worst first-period teams in the NHL last season, and they started this season on a similar note. They allowed the first goal of the game and finished the first period down 2-0. Buffalo dug itself a 3-0 hole before Owen Power scored midway through the third period. It ended up being too little, too late.
The power play was also an issue for the Sabres last season, and this wasn’t an encouraging start in that regard, either. The Sabres went 0-4 with the man advantage and only generated five shots on net with those chances.
Game wasn’t as lopsided as score looks
At five-on-five, the Sabres ended up with a 56-37 advantage in shot attempts, 26-18 advantage in scoring chances and a 10-5 advantage in high-danger chances. Lindy Ruff said he thought the Sabres had some nerves early and didn’t bury their chances, while the Devils finished on theirs and made it tough for the Sabres to get back in the game. But again the Sabres learned how challenging it is to play from behind in the NHL. The Sabres and Devils play again on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
(Photo of the Devils celebrating Stefan Noesen’s goal: Gabriel Kuchta / Getty Images)
