In the fourth game of a five game homestead, the New Jersey Devils face the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night at Prudential Center.
You can watch the game on MSG or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.
Read the game preview below and check back for videos, lineup updates, our Pre-Game story and more.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

WATCH LIVE
Devils Live Pre-Game Show with host Catherine Bogart and analyst Sam Kasan begins at 6:20 PM ET
After the game, tune into our Live Post-Game Show with host Chris Wescott and analyst Matt Loughlin
GAME DAY VIDEO
Devils Minute:
A Dose of Debuts
Player Interviews:
Daws
|
Tatar
Head Coach Interivew:
Lindy Ruff
BY THE NUMBERS
Stats Comparison: Devils vs. Sabres
Media Game Notes
Devils Player Statistics
Sabres Player Statistics
NHL Standings
RECENT VIDEOS
21-22 Devils PlayUp Season Preview Show
DETAILS: Win Speech 2
DETAILS: Hamilton Meets Niedermayer
SCOREBOARD: Intro Video 2021-22
SCOREBOARD: Remembering Broadway
RECENT BLOGS & ARTICLES
FEATURE: Vesey Stepping Up for the Devils
BLOG: Smith to Make Season Debut Saturday
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10 TAKEAWAYS: Flying Out the Gates
PODCAST: Four Key Voices
TV & RADIO
You can watch tonight's game within the Devils region on MSG.
You can listen to tonight's game on the Devils Hockey Network.
There are still limited tickets available. Buy them here!

INSIDE THE DEVILS

The Devils held an optional practice in Newark on Friday after a game Thursday night. Ty Smith skated with the group and Lindy Ruff confirmed the defenseman will make his season debut against the Sabres.
>> READ MORE IN THE INSIDE THE DEVILS BLOG

PRE-GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ -Win the battles. Play hard for each other.
Sounds simple, and it is. That's what the Devils want to get back to tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. A 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals is not the end of the world but it was a speed bump after New Jersey began the season 2-0 and feeling pretty good.
"I feel like we're building a lot of chemistry out there," said Devils forward Tomas Tatar. "Last game, we want to put that behind us. The whole team. We have a great chance here to go 3-1, against Buffalo. I think we are ready. We had a day off and guys are feeling good now."
Head Coach Lindy Ruff is expecting a better effort tonight.
"I said it after the game the other night, I didn't like how we played. We didn't play a very good game. I expect us to play a better game… We need to play well against a team that's playing very hard."
Ruff says he needs his core group of veterans to play better and rise to his higher expectations of them.
One thing that should help New Jersey is the return of defenseman Ty Smith, who had a fantastic rookie year last season.
ANOTHER NICO
Nico Daws confirmed in his media availability that he gets the nod to start between the pipes for New Jersey. It will be his first career NHL start since being taken in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
"Definitely exciting. It's cliche, but it really is a dream come true," he said. "You dream about this as a kid and I'm really excited to get in there."
Daws said Ruff told him yesterday he would get the start.
"I was nervous. Right away, I was speechless but I slept on it and now I'm just so excited."
Daws' family will be in attendance, making the trip from Canada. He says his dad should be fine, but his mom goes a little crazy when watching him play.
"She's jumpy. My dad doesn't like to watch with her," Daws joked.
"It's been a long while since they've been able to see me play… It's special to have them in the stands."
Daws, 6-4, 203 lbs, is an excellent goalie prospect with a lot of potential. He finished his OHL career in 2019-20 with a .924 save percentage and 2.48 GAA. That save percentage was the best in the OHL that season, he was named First-Team All-Star and OHL Goaltender of the Year. He made the jump to Germany last season during the COVID-19 pandemic, and recorded a 2.90 GAA and .898 save percentage.
"You're weighing the fact he played will in a period (in preseason), he played well in Utica, and his practices have been good," said Ruff. "Am I risking? I probably am. But I think sometimes if you don't put any risk out there you don't get any reward. It was my decision to give him the start and I was to see him get the job done."
FROM DAWS TO DAWSON
Daws isn't the rookie in the Devils lineup tonight, albeit Dawson Mercer has played three games already. Mercer also has three points, including his first NHL goal. The fellow 2020 Draft pick has been a revelation since rookie camp for the Devils.
"It's good," said Mercer's linemate Tomas Tatar. "I want him to soak in every little bit of it. He deserved it, he should enjoy it. He's listening. We talk a lot on the ice and off the ice which helps us understand each other on the ice."
Tatar and Andreas Johnsson have flanked Mercer all season giving the rookie a veteran presence on his wings. But Mercer has impressed those veterans with his ability.
"He's great. His IQ is very high. He's great on both sides, he can skate with the puck, he's extremely skilled and it's very fun for me to play with a center like that."

PREVIEW

TV:7:00 PM ET; Televised on MSG
Head-to-Head
This is the first matchup of the 2021-22 season between the Devils and the Sabres. The teams squared off eight times last season, with New Jersey recording a 4-3-1 record against Buffalo. The Devils' 3.38 goals-per-game average against the Sabres was their second highest average against opponents during the 2020-21 campaign.
Devils team scope:
New Jersey lost its first game of the season against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night (4-1). The team recorded wins in its first two contests of the year over Chicago (4-3 OT) and Seattle (4-2).
14 players on New Jersey's roster have at least one point through the first three games of the season. Forward Jack Hughes and defenseman Ryan Graves are tied for most points on the team with three. Seven players have two points, and five players have one.
The Devils will be without one of their points leaders as center Jack Hughes is out with a dislocated shoulder. The forward left during the team's 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Although Hughes is out, defenseman Ty Smith returns from injury and will make his season debut. With goaltenders Jonathan Bernier (day-to-day, lower-body injury) and Mackenzie Blackwood (injured reserve, lower-body injury) unavailable Saturday, the team turns to Scott Wedgewood and Nico Daws.
Sabres team scope:
After a strong 3-0-0 start, the Sabres suffered their first loss of the season against the Boston Bruins (4-1) on Friday night in Buffalo.
Colin Miller is the team's points leader with five points (0-5, 5). Zemgus Girgensons and Victor Olofsson each have two goals and two assists for four points. The Sabres have 15 players with points this season including former Devils defenseman Will Butcher (0-1, 1). Former Devil forward John Hayden made his Sabres debut Friday night, after signing with Buffalo in free agency this summer.
By the Numbers:
Dawson Mercer netted his first NHL goal on Tuesday and his first NHL point (an assist) last Friday. His two-game points streak made him one of 17 rookies in franchise history to record at least one point in each of his first two career NHL contests. Mercer's goal makes him the fifth teenager, since 2015-16, to record at least one goal in a game for the Devils. Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Pavel Zacha join Mercer on this list.
Buffalo started the season 3-0-0, for only the fifth time in franchise history. The last time the Sabres started with three straight wins was during the 2008-09 campaign.
Injury Updates:
Devils
Blackwood (heel)
Hughes (upper-body)
Bernier (lower-body)
Wood (undisclosed)
Capitals
Eakin (undisclosed)