Jack and Bratt Lead Devils to 4-3 Victory over Sabres | GAME STORY

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."

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WHAT'S NEXT
The Devils will host the Edmonton Oilers at Prudential Center for a New Years Eve matinee at 1pm on Friday. The game can be seen on MSG+ and heard on the Devils Hockey Network, including right here at NewJerseyDevils.com. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. ET.
Tickets are still available. Click here to purchase.
Here are some observations from the game...
- There certainly was no better way for this team to kick off the next part of their season than with a power-play goal. It has been a point of emphasis and a constant work in progress. So when Kyle Okposo was in the box for the Sabres early in the first period, to see that first power-play unit go to work and get the job done -- off a Hamilton goal from the blue line -- was very encouraging. Sometimes it's all about the mental game to get things moving in the right direction, and hopefully, this could be it. The Devils' power play went 1-for-2 by the end of the sixty minutes. - That being said, it felt a bit like Jekyll and Hyde between the first and second period with the Devils jumping out to their early lead in the first and the tide suddenly changing in the second with two early breakdowns. Twice Buffalo forward Tage Thompson was able to capitalize on his opportunities and swiftly brought this to a tie game by the 3:17 mark of the second period. Once again those individual mistakes and poor puck management lead to two goals ending up in New Jersey's net. - Lindy Ruff has been talking about needing more from his top offensive players and he got that from several of them tonight in Buffalo. It was top-notch performances from Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, both ending the night with three points with one goal and two assists each. "Jack made a difference for us," Ruff said post game. "We count on him for a lot." - When the Devils found themselves in a tie game early in the second period, it looked like Jack Hughes was looking to take it upon himself to try and put the Devils back on top. Although he did not score, Jack was involved in something every time he was on the ice, with a team-high three shots in the second period. It soon came to fruition for Jack, giving the Devils the 3-2 lead in the third period. Judging by his reaction, you knew how badly he was looking for that one. - Speaking of Jack, he had a team-high six shots on goal. P.K. Subban and Pavel Zacha each had five shots, while Dougie Hamilton and Yegor Sharangovich had four apiece. The Devils ended the night with 42 shots on net. - There was a really unique scenario that doesn't happen all that often in the NHL. Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald was with the team in Buffalo and while he was there watching his own team, he had the added bonus of seeing his son Casey play his second NHL game.