Markstrom ‘unbelievable’ in Devils debut in Global Series win against Sabres

PRAGUE -- Jacob Markstrom might not think his diving stick save late in the first period was a game-changer, but the rest of his team did.

The reason is simple: Of all the offseason transactions made by the New Jersey Devils, Markstrom happens to be most significant.

Markstrom made 30 saves in a 4-1 victory against the Buffalo Sabres at O2 Arena in the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal on Friday.

"This is why [general manager Tom Fitzgerald] prioritized the position," New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said.

The stick save occurred while New Jersey was leading 2-0. The Sabres were pressing and generating offense. The 16,913 in attendance could sense something was about to happen, but to which team?

Markstrom earned the highlight-reel moment when he denied forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel with the paddle of his stick while lunging to his left at 16:57.

The 34-year-old goalie was asked what teammates said to him after the key save.

"Nothing really," he said. "We still had a lot of hockey to be played."

That may be true, but there's no denying the fact Markstrom was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames on June 19 for this type of moment, this type of save.

"He's a competitor," Keefe said. "He wants to work. He wants to win. He's an experienced goaltender in the League, but he doesn't take a day for granted. He puts in the work, he demands a lot of his teammates, of his coaching staff as well, and he's come here for a reason."

Markstrom is expected to solidify a position that didn't offer stability last season, when New Jersey used five goalies, allowed 3.43 goals per game and had a combined .896 save percentage, third-worst in the League.

"He was unbelievable," Devils forward Dawson Mercer said. "When you have a goalie back there in net and you feel confident up front that he's going to come up in big moments and step up at times and make those saves that count, it's great. I think he really did that in a few sequences throughout the night."

Johnathan Kovacevic, who was also making his Devils debut after being acquired in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens on June 3, thought Markstrom was on top of his game. The defenseman was asked about the big save.

"Yeah, which one?" he said with a grin. "I mean, the stacked pads save or the stick? The stick was crazy. There was so much chaos that it was like, I don't think everyone caught it, but it was a [heck] of a save. I did catch that one and he was an absolute brick wall for us tonight."

Markstrom answered any questions regarding his health after missing three games in January and five more in March with the Flames due to separate lower-body injuries. He's a workhorse, having played at least 60 games three different times in his career, including 59 games in another. The last Devils goalies with 60-plus appearances in a season were Cory Schneider (60 in 2016-17; 69 in 2014-15) and Martin Brodeur (77 in 2009-10).

"He's so solid," captain Nico Hischier said. "He played really well and it's just great seeing him so confident back there. There weren't a lot of loose pucks. He was holding pucks and it's just great to have 'Marky' in the net."