The Devils emerged from their holiday break to snap a six-game losing streak with a big 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
The victory marked the first since Dec. 8 at home against the Flyers and their first road win since Nov. 20, against the Lightning.
After the team saw a two-goal lead evaporate early in the second period, the big-name players on this team took it upon themselves to change the tide.
"We were guys that felt we needed to step up, to take a bigger role, and we did that," Bratt said after the game.
Yegor Sharangovich's third-period goal was the winning goal, while Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each had three-point nights. The combination of Sharangovich, Hughes, and Bratt on the same line was the first time Lindy Ruff has put the three highly skilled players together, and they accounted for seven points tonight.
"I know it was a three-point night and it could have been a couple more, on a couple more opportunities," Lindy Ruff said after the game. :We count on him a lot."
And Jack certainly came up big.
Dougie Hamilton's powerplay goal to open the scoring marked a second consecutive game with a goal on the man-advantage, both scored by the first unit which now has Nathan Bastian playing in the net front. But it's not only his presence as the net-front player but his ability to retrieve pucks that have begun to transform that first power-play unit. It's something both Ruff and Hughes spoke about tonight.
"He's huge for us on the power play, I think we were missing that net-front guy," Hughes said. "He's not only a presence, not only can he screen the goalie, but he's really good on puck retrievals and getting those second and third chances. He's been playing really well on our PP and pretty excited to see him out there. He's been great for us."
Jack and Bratt Lead Devils to 4-3 Victory over Sabres | GAME STORY
Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each had three-point nights in the 4-3 win over Buffalo