Devils Blank Sabres 5-0, Win Third In A Row

AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

The Devils won their third game in a row in a 5-0 rout of the Buffalo Sabres on Black Friday. Jake Allen got the nod after having been off almost an entire week since a weak performance in Philadelphia. Allen put forth his best outing of the year, stopping all of Buffalo's 42 shots.

The tone for the game was set early when Tage Thompson and Stefan Noesen dropped the gloves early in the first period. The fight was the result of a questionable hit that Noesen dished out on Thompson in a matchup last season.

Nico Hischier opened up the scoring from a pass from behind the net by Timo Meier to keep the top line's offense hot. Hischier now has goals in his last three games and 10 points in his past four games.

Arseny Gritsyuk scored his first of two goals in the contest, midway through the second period. A Devils goal that did not come from the top line, which is a welcoming sight for New Jersey. The Devils looked to close the game out with a 2-0 lead to begin the third period. Brendan Dillon scored his third goal of the season on a slap shot off the rush to make the game 3-0.

Paul Cotter took advantage of his second breakaway opportunity of the game to make the score 4-0. Arseny Gritsyuk scored his second of the contest on a 2-on-1 opportunity with Ondrej Palat. Palat's two assists in the game actually doubled his point total for the year.

Despite being outshot 42-23, Jake Allen stood tall and gave New Jersey a 5-0 victory on the road. This improved their record to 16-7-1 to keep them in first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Devils have a quick turnaround and will seek revenge on a Flyers team that beat them just a week ago.