Devils rout Sabres in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. - The New Jersey Devils were on the road for the first time this young NHL season, taking on the Buffalo Sabres in a Columbus Day matinee.
An undermanned Devils squad defeated the Sabres handily 6-2 to start their season 2-0.
Tweet from @NJDevils: First: ������Next: ��The puck drops at 3PM! #NJDvsBUF �� pic.twitter.com/20cX7E4zd3
Here are 10 takeaways from the game:

1. Coach John Hynes went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the absence of two starters. Kyle Palmieri and Drew Stafford both made the trip to Buffalo, but were unavailable because of lower body injuries sustained against the Colorado Avalanche in the season opener. Both remain day-to-day.
   2. Wearing the A's on their jerseys for the first time this season were Adam Henrique and newcomer Marcus Johansson. Coach Hynes will be rotating the A's while Travis Zajac is out.

3. Stefan Noesen opened scoring for the Devils and the game when he scored off his head and into the net behind Buffalo's Chad Johnson. Brian Gibbons picked up the assist. Noesen gave the Devils a 1-0 lead 6:26 into the first period.
   Tweet from @NJDevils: Noesen nose goals. ������ #NJDvsBUF pic.twitter.com/h6FSUyPb
   4. Nico Hischier recorded his first NHL point, a beautiful pass from behind the Buffalo net to Gibbons, who was waiting on Johnson's doorstep. Gibbons made no mistake and tapped the puck into the net. The goal put the Devils up 2-0 late in the first period. Johansson had the secondary assist.
   Tweet from @NJDevils: Congrats to @NicoHischier, who just recorded his first career @NHL assist! #NJDvsBUF pic.twitter.com/zWngouNBgW
   5. Jesper Bratt scored shorthanded against the Sabres. Bratt and Henrique were on a 2-on-1 when Henrique dished a precision pass to Bratt who backhanded it past Johnson for a 3-1 New Jersey lead.
   Later, Bratt scored the team's sixth goal of the afternoon. He collected five points in his first five NHL periods, an incredible feat. Worth noting: He was assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald's player to watch during development camp.
   Tweet from @NJDevils: BBB.Bratt. Backhander. Beautiful. #NJDvsBUF pic.twitter.com/TCoKwj6Mu
   6. Johansson got his first and second in a New Jersey uniform, scoring the Devils' fourth and sixth goals of the afternoon, his first two goals with New Jersey. He finished Monday with two goals and an assist. Taylor Hall assisted on his first goal, while Bratt assisted on the second.
   7. Miles Wood tried to make an impression drawing into the lineup for the first time this season. He dropped the gloves with Sabres defenseman Nathan Beaulieu late in the second period. Both players went to the box for five minutes for fighting.
   8. The Devils forced the Sabres to change their goalie to start the third period after Johnson gave up six goals to New Jersey on 22 shots. Robin Lehner played the final 20 minutes.
   9. They knew the league would be cracking down on it - Johansson took a faceoff violation penalty at 3:33 of the second period. It's the first faceoff violation penalty for the Devils this regular season, after the preseason was peppered with them.
   10. Up next, the Devils travel across the border to Toronto, where they'll face the Maple Leafs Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.