Devils dodge Sabres in 4-2 win
Buffalo Sabres (2) vs New Jersey Devils (4)...........
Going into Saturday night both team were fighting for the last playoff spot in the East, so this was one of those perverbial three point games. The Devils were just hoping to put a stop to there seven game slide and the Sabres losers of three of their last four were just trying to stay in the race.
The Devils' powerplay was on fire Saturday night as they struck four times against the Sabres. Pavel Datsyuk put New Jersey on the board at 7:45 with Sabre David Backes in the box for slashing. Datsyuk won the ensuing face-off over to Valtteri Filppula, his shot went wide and Datsyuk was the first to the puck as it came off the boards, snapping it high glove on Jussi Rynnas. Ryan Suter doubled the Devils' lead at 13:09 when again his team on the powerplay, he snapped a seeing eye shot through the pads of Rynnas, Dan Cleary and David Bolland were credited with assists on the play. The Devils were all over the Sabres in the opening twenty as the shots would suggest, 16-2 Devils.
The Sabres responded in the second period as Joe Pavelski scored his 25th of the season at 16:42 as he would pick up a Ed Jovonovski shot that was blocked by Devil James Wisniewski and snapping it over the shoulder of Ben Bishop, tending net for New Jersey. The Devils held a huge lead in shots through forty minutes at 26-11 but only led by one thanks to some superb goaltending by Sabre Jussi Rynnas.
The Devils' were back on the powerplay in the third when Pavel Datsyuk struck for his second of the night at 6:58 as defenseman Sergei Gonchar looked on helplessly. Datsyuk won his face-off cleanly from Joe Pavelski and simply snapped the puck past Rynnas from inside the circle. The Sabres again made it a one goal game on their own powerplay tally at 12:37, with David Perron sitting for hooking, David Backes gathered up a loose puck in the slot after Suter blocked the original but couldn't get to his feet to cover Backes as he snapped the puck past the out-stretched skate of Bishop. Pavel Datsyuk completed his hat-trick at 15:18 of the third when the Devils' converted their fourth powerplay goal of the night. Joe Pavelski was again victimized in the face-off circle as Filppula beat him and dished the puck to Datsyuk who released his signature snap shot which beat Rynnas' glove hand into the top left corner of the goal. The final shots in the game were 36-25 New Jersey.
Ben Bishop stopped 23 shots for his 23rd win of the season.
MOLSON'S THREE STARS:
1 - Pavel Datsyuk (NJ )......... 3 goals, 6 s.o.g
2 - Ryan Suter (NJ ).............. 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 s.o.g
3 - Valtteri Filppula (NJ )...... 3 assists, 6 s.o.g
Reporting For The WCHL Network.........
Peter Puck
Going into Saturday night both team were fighting for the last playoff spot in the East, so this was one of those perverbial three point games. The Devils were just hoping to put a stop to there seven game slide and the Sabres losers of three of their last four were just trying to stay in the race.
The Devils' powerplay was on fire Saturday night as they struck four times against the Sabres. Pavel Datsyuk put New Jersey on the board at 7:45 with Sabre David Backes in the box for slashing. Datsyuk won the ensuing face-off over to Valtteri Filppula, his shot went wide and Datsyuk was the first to the puck as it came off the boards, snapping it high glove on Jussi Rynnas. Ryan Suter doubled the Devils' lead at 13:09 when again his team on the powerplay, he snapped a seeing eye shot through the pads of Rynnas, Dan Cleary and David Bolland were credited with assists on the play. The Devils were all over the Sabres in the opening twenty as the shots would suggest, 16-2 Devils.
The Sabres responded in the second period as Joe Pavelski scored his 25th of the season at 16:42 as he would pick up a Ed Jovonovski shot that was blocked by Devil James Wisniewski and snapping it over the shoulder of Ben Bishop, tending net for New Jersey. The Devils held a huge lead in shots through forty minutes at 26-11 but only led by one thanks to some superb goaltending by Sabre Jussi Rynnas.
The Devils' were back on the powerplay in the third when Pavel Datsyuk struck for his second of the night at 6:58 as defenseman Sergei Gonchar looked on helplessly. Datsyuk won his face-off cleanly from Joe Pavelski and simply snapped the puck past Rynnas from inside the circle. The Sabres again made it a one goal game on their own powerplay tally at 12:37, with David Perron sitting for hooking, David Backes gathered up a loose puck in the slot after Suter blocked the original but couldn't get to his feet to cover Backes as he snapped the puck past the out-stretched skate of Bishop. Pavel Datsyuk completed his hat-trick at 15:18 of the third when the Devils' converted their fourth powerplay goal of the night. Joe Pavelski was again victimized in the face-off circle as Filppula beat him and dished the puck to Datsyuk who released his signature snap shot which beat Rynnas' glove hand into the top left corner of the goal. The final shots in the game were 36-25 New Jersey.
Ben Bishop stopped 23 shots for his 23rd win of the season.
MOLSON'S THREE STARS:
1 - Pavel Datsyuk (NJ )......... 3 goals, 6 s.o.g
2 - Ryan Suter (NJ ).............. 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 s.o.g
3 - Valtteri Filppula (NJ )...... 3 assists, 6 s.o.g
Reporting For The WCHL Network.........
Peter Puck
