New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres

Tage Thompson leaves game after hit to head. Sabres hold off Devils for 4-3 win

JJ Peterka, Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker also scored for the Sabres, who won their third in a row. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves.

Devils forward Stefan Noesen received a game misconduct penalty when he elbowed Thompson’s face at 5:11 into the third period. Thompson was lunging for the puck near the blue line when Noesen knocked it away and continued charging into Thompson. The hit knocked Thompson’s helmet off and spun him around. Buffalo’s top scorer was down on the ice for a moment before rising to one knee and skating off the ice on his way to the dressing room.

Paul Cotter scored two goals for the Devils in the opener of a two-game trip. Jack Hughes had a short-handed goal 21 seconds after Noesen’s penalty to get the Devils within a goal. Jake Allen stopped 23 of 27 shots before getting pulled late in the second period. Nico Daws made seven saves.

After Thompson scored his 26th of the season, Peterka and McLeod put the Sabres in front 3-0 by the end of the first period.

Rasmus Dahlin had two assists to move ahead of Mike Ramsey for the second-most points among Sabres defenseman with 331.

Takeaways Devils: Playing without captain Nico Hischier and top goaltender Jakob Markstrom, the Devils were unable to sustain momentum from winning three of four to close out January.

Sabres: The last-place team in the Eastern Conference is on a three-game win streak for the fifth time this season. They have not won four in a row since January 2023.

Key moment McLeod chipped the puck away from New Jersey’s Dougie Hamilton along the wall in the defensive zone leading to his short-handed breakaway, and beat Allen with a backhand to give Buffalo a three-goal lead with 29 seconds remaining in the first period.

Key stat While matching the Sabres with their own short-handed goal, the Devils’ second-ranked power play went 0 for 5. Two of those opportunities came in the third period.

Up next Devils are at Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Sabres conclude a four-game homestand against Columbus on Tuesday.

NJ wins series 2-1