NEW JERSEY DEVILS (28-18-6) vs. BUFFALO SABRES (20-26-5)

New Jersey begins a two-game road trip starting with a contest in Buffalo against the Sabres Sunday afternoon.

You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below. Tonight's game is presented by Food Truck Lady.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

BUFFALO, NY - The Devils are in Buffalo for an afternoon contest. Due to the early start, there is no morning skate, but head coach Sheldon Keefe met with the media prior to puck drop. Here are the biggest takeaways from that availability.

Lineup

Keefe said the Devils will use the same lineup from their previous contest - a win against Philadelphia. That includes Jake Allen getting the start in goal.

Clean Slate

The Devils and Sabres meet for the third time this season, and the final time this season. It’s also the only contest of the year to take place in North America. Both teams opened the season in Prague, Czechia as part of the NHL’s Global Series.

Since the last matchups were so long ago, and the season openers, the Devils are looking at this game as a brand new contest.

“I think it’s a clean slate. Those were glorified preseason games. Both in how far back they are,” Keefe said. “Both teams have been through a lot since then. I expect a much different type of game.”

Building

The Devils are coming off an impressive 5-0 victory against Philadelphia on Wednesday night. The team is looking to build off that win and carry that play over to this contest in Buffalo.

“We’re just trying to get our game back to where it was at our best,” Keefe said. “The last game was a step in the right direction. We want to keep going that way.”

One of the things Keefe highlighted from the Flyers’ game was the intensity with which the team played. And that may have been a result of playing the Flyers three times in two weeks, including the back-to-back home-and-home series.

“The energy, the physicality, the emotion. That was the biggest difference in our game,” he said. “It’s on use to manufacture that (against Buffalo).”

Stay Above

The Sabres have found some recent success with the trio of JJ Peterka, Jiri Kulich and Tage Thompson working on a line together. It’s a trio that the Devils will be hyper focused on.

“All three guys are dangerous. If you give them a look they can score,” Keefe said. “If you make a mistake in your rush coverage, they can score from distance, they can shoot off the pass, they can get in behind you and get in clean on your goalie.

“You have to manage the puck really well, you have to stay above them. They have lots of confidence. That’s a challenge for us to be really aware when they’re out there.”

THE SCOOP

The Devils are coming off an impressive 5-0 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday night. The club scored two power-play goals while goaltender Jake Allen stopped all 24 shots against to pick up his third shutout of the season.

New Jersey closed out January by winning three of its last four games. The club scored 16 goals in those four games, including two five-goal efforts. The Devils remain in the third spot in the Metro Division.

The Devils are dealing injuries to two major players on the team. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom is out until after the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament with a sprained MCL in his right knee. Captain Nico Hischier is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

Dawson Mercer has slotted in for Hischier and he has three goals in his last four games. Jesper Bratt is on a four-game scoring streak with one goal and five points. Jack Hughes also has a four-game scoring streak with two goals and five points. Goalie Jake Allen is 2-1-0 since taking over for Markstrom.

Head coach Lindy Ruff returned to the bench for Buffalo, but the Sabres are struggling mightily this season. They currently sit dead last in the Eastern Conference and went through a stretch of going winless in 13 straight games (0-10-3) from Nov. 27 to Dec. 21.

The Sabres roster has a ton of potential with forwards Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jack Quinn and Jason Zucker and defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. However, the club hasn’t been able to string together much success. While the Sabres offense is in the upper-tier in the NHL, Buffalo has allowed the third most goals per game (3.39) in the NHL this season.

Thompson is still a major threat to score. The former 47-goal scorer has 25 tallies on the season and recently posted a hat trick against Boston on Monday night. He also paces the team with 45 points on the year. JJ Peterka is second at 40 points (14g-26a). Rasmus Dahlin leads the back end with 31 assists and 37 points.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Forward Timo Meier has a four-game scoring streak with one goal and six points.

Sabres: Forward Tage Thompson has six goals in his past six games, which includes a hat trick. Thompson has 11 points in his past eight games (6g-5a).

INJURIES

Devils: Hischier (unknown, day-to-day), Markstrom (MCL sprain, out 4-6 weeks), Haula (ankle, day-to-day), Hatakka (shoulder, IR)

Sabres: Greenway (middle body, IR)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Oct. 4 at Buffalo, W 4-1 Global Series
• Oct. 5 vs. Buffalo, W 3-1 Global Series
• Feb. 2 at Buffalo

GAME NOTES

• The Devils and Sabres meet for the third and final time this season. The Devils won the previous two meetings, both taking place in Prague, Czechia as part of the NHL's Global Series.
• Paul Cotter leads the series scoring with two goals and three points. Stefan Noesen, Johnathan Kovacevic, Jack Hughes and Nathan Bastian each have two points.