Sabres 3, Devils 0 (Prospects Challenge) | GAME STORY

BUFFALO, NY - New Jersey dropped the opening contest of the round-robin style Prospects Challenge tournament to host Buffalo, 3-0, at LECOM Harborcenter Friday night.
Buffalo, which had the edge in shots 26-22, received goals from Brett Murray (power play), J.J. Peterka and Peter Tischke (empty net, shorthanded). Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen posted a shutout.
Here are some observations from the game…

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The Devils wrap up the Prospects Challenge on Sunday against the Boston Bruins. The game can be seen on right here at NewJerseyDevils.com. Puck drop is 1:08 p.m. ET.
* Defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk was an absolute menace on the ice. The 6-foot-1, 194-pound Russian was hitting everything that moved. No Sabres player was safe from his pursuit. He punished players at the net, along the boards and even in open ice.
"He comes off as a guy that as infectious enthusiasm about his game," Utica head coach Kevin Dineen said. "I think that filters into the locker room and into practice. We see that on a daily basis. That's my first live viewing and I thought he had a good showing."
Okhotiuk was assessed a double-minor late in the first period. He went out of his way, a little too out of his way, to hit Buffalo's Riley Fiddler-Schultz to draw an interference penalty. And when Sabres center Arttu Ruostalainen came to the defense of his teammate, Okhotiuk dropped him with one punch to the face - to which an additional two minutes was added for roughing.
If Okhotiuk can find a way to harness the snarl in his game without going over the line, like above, he's going to be one heck of an asset on the Devils blue line in the future.
* Alexander Holtz has aspirations of being in New Jersey this season and playing in the NHL. While he will get an extended look in training camp, this Prospects Challenge is a chance to get a head start on making an impression.
Holtz, whose biggest asset is his deadly shot, showed that he isn't afraid to shoot the puck from anywhere and at any time. Even though he didn't end up on the scoresheet, an attitude like that combined with those nasty hands will lead to plenty of goals in that kid's future.
* Speaking of aspirations to make the NHL, center Dawson Mercer also had himself a game. He was noticeable at both ends of the ice. Whether it pivoting on his edges to create space to cut into the slot for a shot in the offensive zone or dropping to his knees to get his stick along the ice and intercept a pass in the defensive zone, Mercer was making plays.
"Every game I give it my all," Mercer said. "I want to be the hardest worker and do what I can. Take responsibility in the D zone, and I like to be an offensive player. I had a lot of chances, but the puck didn't find the back of the net. That's something we would have liked to see."
Mercer's coach, Dineen, took notice of Mercer's play.
"I think his stick is as good as I've seen in a long time," Dineen said. "He's a young player that seems to break up a lot of opportunities. Not only doing that on the defensive side, but then when you create in the transition game I thought was very strong. Dawson had a very good showing tonight."
* With Scott Wedgewood the likely starting goaltender in Utica of the American Hockey League, the Prospects Challenge will provide a chance for two Devils goaltending prospects to show that they can be his backup, or even push him for playing time. That competition is between Nico Daws, tonight's starter, and Akira Schmid.
Daws, with the exception of a few stick handling mishaps, handled himself well in the puck stopping department. He stopped Linus Weissbach twice on breakaways. Yes, twice. And also made a nifty glove save in the slot on Ruostalainen. In fact, the two goals that beat him was a rebound chance on a power play and a 3-on-1. Neither of which can be pinned on Daws.
"I thought I played pretty decent. You never know how you're going to play when you have that much time off," Daws said. "I thought I played pretty good.
"The first save, you're working for every game. But when you don't play for that long the first save means a lot more for the mental game than anything, remembering what it's like to be back in game action."