Haula Nets Two, Devils Lose Hischier in 5-4 Win | GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ - The boys in black beat Buffalo!

The New Jersey Devils, clad in their third jerseys for the first time this season, defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Friday night.

Alexander Holtz scored for a second consecutive game, Jesper Bratt tied the game at two, Erik Haula scored shorthanded and the game-winner, Jack Hughes scored a third-period power-play goal in New Jersey's victory.

Haula nearly had a hat trick, on the ice defending against the Sabres 6-on-5 with their goalie pulled, but on his shot toward the net his stick suddenly snapped.

"It's a little sad," Haula smirked, "I don't have a hat trick."

The game wasn't without a moment of big concern. Aside from the Devils once again giving up the first goal of the game, it was a play on captain Nico Hischier that emphasized the first period.

It happened with four minutes to play when Hischier was hit up high by Buffalo's Connor Clifton. The hit brought Hischier to his knees and joined on the ice by a team trainer. It took a few beats, but Hischier was able to skate off the ice without any help.

Clifton will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Saturday for an Illegal Check to the Head.

It was linemate and wily veteran Ondrej Palat who jumped to his defense on the play, dropping the mitts with Clifton. Hischier returned to play in the second period, but did not participate in the third. Head coach Lindy Ruff said Hischier was held out of the third for precautionary reasons.

"I don’t like that hit," Haula said, "I just hope that he has a fast recovery. Everyone can see that it catches him pretty good. Hopefully he’ll get some rest now, have a fast recovery because we’ll need him.”

JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens all tallied for the Sabres, while goaltender Eric Comrie left the game in the second period with an injury, replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Here are some observations from the game:

• Scoring the first goal in a game continues to allude the Devils. The opening goal by the Sabres tonight came off JJ Peterka's stick when he took advantage of Luke Hughes falling at center ice, leaving Peterka with plenty of open ice. Hughes would atone for his fall shortly thereafter, with a smart defensive play breaking up a pass between Buffalo's Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch, that would start the odd-man rush to the Devils opening goal by Alexander Holtz.

• Connor Clifton was assessed a match penalty and a major for fighting after his hit on Nico Hischier with four minutes to play in the first. Ondrej Palat jumped to his captain's defense and was handed a minor instigator penalty, a five-minute major for fighting and a misconduct penalty.

The Devils came out of the myriad of penalties with a three-minute power play.

Of Palat's reaction, Haula shared: 

“That no questions asked, that’s what you do. Nico, for sure, no matter who it is, a hit like that, it’s just how it goes.”

• With Palat in the penalty box serving his penalty for the majority of the second period, Jack Hughes was double-shifted, used on the wing with Hischier and Bratt, as well as playing on his own line.

In the third period, without Hischier, Michael McLeod carried a lot of Hischier's minutes, often centering Palat and Bratt.

• Vitek Vanecek was under siege for much of the first half of the second period. He saw at least two Sabres breakaways and another barrage of shots in close before the period was 10 minutes old. During the second TV timeout of the period, right after Vanecek made some of his bigger saves, head coach Lindy Ruff had his team gathered around and was adamantly sharing his thoughts. One might predict that he was having a word about the number of breakaways the team had been handing the Sabres.

"There was about a six-minute window in the second period, where at the TV timeout I addressed the way we were playing," Lindy Ruff shared after the game. "If there wasn't a tv timeout, I probably would have used a timeout. We just finished giving up a 2-on-0, gave up another odd-numbered rush, that’s not good hockey.”

• Haula's shorthanded goal was the eighth of his career and third with New Jersey.

• Timo Meier was used in Nico Hischier's spot on the Devils power play when Hischier was unable to play. The unit was Tyler Toffoli, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Luke Hughes and Meier.

• An area of the game where the Devils excelled last season was shutting down the game in the third period, particularly with a lead. While the Sabres were able to tie the game at four in the third, the Devils did a valiant job at channeling the way they played last season with their third period performance tonight. 

The Devils held the Sabres to just four shots on goal in the final frame. 

“It was definitely a step in the right direction," Jesper Bratt said, "I still think we have a lot of things to tighten up and get better at and playing a little more simple. It’s okay to shoot the puck out for an icing sometimes when you’re under duress. Those are just things that we’re going to have to learn throughout the way to be a more successful team.”