GAME STORY: Devils 6, Sabres 3

BUFFALO, N.Y. -In the first game where the Devils gave the car keys to the kids, the kids went from 0 to 60 mph down the highway.
Led by the trio of Jack Hughes, Janne Kuokkanen and Yegor Sharangovich - a line that combined for nine points as all three finished with one goal and three points each - the Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 6-3, at KeyBank Arena.
Pavel Zacha chipped in two goals, both on the power play, and Jesper Boqvist added another. New Jersey's goal scorers by age were: 24, 24, 19, 22, 22, 22.

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The Devils return home to play the Penguins Friday night. You can watch on MSG+ 2 and listen on the Devils Hockey Network,
including right here at NewJerseyDevils.com.
Game time is 7:08 PM ET.
The Devils have the NHL's youngest roster with an average age of 25.3. And their oldest forward - Andreas Johnsson - is a mere 26 years old. You're seeing the trend I'm sure.
Most impressive in the game was the Devils' resolve. They surrendered a goal 53 seconds after the opening face-off. New Jersey responded by building a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes. The Sabres hit back to tie the game in the second period.
New Jersey reclaimed the lead in third, while outshooting Buffalo 11-2, and even added two insurance goals late in that final frame.
"We had them on the ropes," Hughes said. "In the second, we didn't play well in that period. But in the third we clamped it down and scored on our opportunities. That was a really good period for us, and a good win for our team."
The Devils have had their issues this season with putting games away by scoring that "next" goal. Tonight they scored that "next" goal. And scored a big win for themselves.
"The third period is very important, especially with the tied game," Zacha said. "We are a young team and we have to find a way to win these games. We finally did."
Here are some other observations from the game…
* "I think everybody sees where Jack Hughes is at, where he's trending with his play. He could have 20 goals by now the way he drives offense."Those were the words of Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald Wednesday night. And he's absolutely right. Hughes could have 20 goals. Instead, he had seven entering the game against Buffalo while dragging a 10-game goal-less drought with him.
The 19-year-old certainly passes the eye test. It's hard to ignore the number of posts, near misses and great goaltending saves that have denied Hughes of goals (and assists). Even Ruff, who has been coaching in the NHL since 1993, said he's never seen a player as "snake-bitten" as Hughes is.
Hughes finally, emphasis on the word on finally, was rewarded with a goal against the Sabres when he whipped a shot into the net late in the first period. He collected the puck in the slot and initially lost control of the puck. Hughes, undeterred, regrouped the puck and got the puck into the goal.
"I hope this propels him," Ruff said. "And he starts to feel good about his game, a little less frustration. I like the fact that he's battled through this. It's not like he's been missing nights. Night after night he's been generating opportunities, he's just had no return."
Hughes would set up two insurance goals for the Devils in the third period. He finished with three points, but yet still could have had more. He hit another crossbar and even set up two teammates for great scoring chances that they couldn't convert.
"At the end of the day it is what it is," Hughes said of his lack of luck. "I'm getting the looks. I've been hitting a lot of posts, crossbars. It is what it is. I'm just enjoying it even when the goals aren't coming. We have a good group of guys here. It's fun to come to the rink. It's nice that I scored one tonight. I have to keep shooting the puck."
The Devils need Hughes to keep playing like Hughes. As Fitzgerald said, he drives the offense.
* Speaking of Hughes' goal, it was the end result of some great work by his new linemates -Kuokkanen and Sharangovich. The Devils dumped the puck and Kuokkanen was first on the corner to force pressure on Buffalo's Rasmus Ristolainen. He tried to get the puck to Jacob Bryson. However, Sharangovich created a turnover when he poked the puck to Kuokkanen. Hughes smartly drifted unmarked into the slot. Kuokkanen quickly gave him the puck and Hughes did the rest. "They've got a little bit of everything," Ruff said about the line that has been united for the past three games. "They've got a shooter, they've got a couple play-makers, they got Jack, who's explosive and can create room for those guys. It's a group that we'd like to keep together."
* The narrative coming from the Devils following the trade of veteran forwards Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri was that their absence will create opportunities for young players with more ice time and more responsibility. The question is which players would take advantage of that opportunity.
Jesper Boqvist, the Devils' second-round pick (36th overall) in 2017, was reinserted into the lineup in Zajac's vacated center position. He became just one of the Devils youths to grab hold of his advantage.
The 22-year-old scored the game-winning goal at 8:45 of the third period. It started with a great play behind the net by Michael McLeod, who stole Colin Miller's pass intended for Brandon Montour. McLeod wrapped around and put the puck on net. The rebound kicked out to Boqvist, who buried it short side.
It's Boqvist's first goal of the season. Boqvist scored so loud after the goal that you could hear it in New Jersey.
* The Devils power play has certainly had its struggles at points during the season. However, the unit is starting to heat up. New Jersey posted two power-play goals, 101 seconds apart, in a single game for the first time all season, and now has three man-advantage tallies in the past two games. This is coming after the club snapped a 0-for-16 stretch.
"Special teams win you games," said Zacha, who scored both man-advantage tallies. "We had two goals and a couple more chances. We've been working pretty good the last 2-3 games and we're finally getting rewarded for it."
* Coincidently, both power-play goals had the same exact stat line: goal scorer (Pavel Zacha), primary assist (Ty Smith), secondary assist (Jesper Bratt).
* Zacha's first power-play goal of the evening came on a smart and gifted display. Smith took a shot from the point and the rebound popped out to Zacha in the slot. Most players would try to hurry a shot on net, and that's exactly how Buffalo goaltender Linus Ullmark read the play, dropping to his knees and anticipating shot. Instead, Zacha pulled the puck to his backhand and easily deposited the puck around a helpless Ullmark. It was a smart play on Zacha's part to change the angle with Ullmark idle. It was also a sick display of hands to move the puck in tight space.
"When I saw the rebound, I saw Johnsson right at the net-front," Zacha said. "I didn't want to risk it and shoot it. I didn't know if there was anyone else around me, but I knew if I tried to shoot it then it would be a very risky play. So, I went to my backhand and scored."
* In Tuesday's loss to Buffalo, the Sabres scored the tying goal on a turnover by Smith. On the play, Smith had the puck near the wall and instead of chipping it out - since he had no support - he tried to force a pass up the middle. It was intercepted and Buffalo scored. Following the game, Ruff said that was a play where he should "live to fight another day" and flip it out.
In Thursday's game, Smith was in a similar scenario with two Sabres pressuring him in the defensive zone and no support. This time, Smith retreated and carried the puck around his own net until he could find an outlet. That's a perfect example of a player making a mistake, learning from the mistake and not making the same mistake twice.
* Aaron Dell made a surprise start in goal, his first since March 4. He picked up his first win as a Devil after making 24 saves.