NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Erik Haula scored two goals and Vitek Vanecek made 23 saves, helping the New Jersey Devils beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Friday night.
Haula snapped a tie 14:17 into the third period, putting New Jersey ahead to stay. He also scored a short-handed goal in the second.
Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt also scored in the Devils' third win in four games. Luke Hughes had two assists.
Buffalo had won two of three, including a 6-4 victory at Ottawa on Tuesday. Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens and JJ Peterka scored for the Sabres, who dropped to 3-6-2 in their last 11 games against Devils.
Eric Comrie made 16 saves for Buffalo before departing in the second period with a lower-body injury. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen came in and finished with 19 stops.
New Jersey grabbed a 4-3 lead when Jack Hughes scored a power-play goal 2:09 into the third period. Jack Hughes has five goals and 13 assists in seven games this season.
Cozens tied it at 4 with his third goal at 12:35. Cozens has a six-game point streak.
Haula scored his first goal of the night 13:47 into the second. He sped in on Luukkonen for a breakaway and flipped a backhand into the net.
Dahlin then tied it at 3 at 17:32, scoring his first goal of the year. Dahlin has a seven-game point streak.
Each team scored twice during an entertaining first period.
Peterka rifled a high wrist shot past Vanecek at 6:11 for his third goal this season. Alexander Holtz tied it for New Jersey at 7:41.
Thompson then put the Sabres ahead at 15:42, tapping the puck past Vanecek in a goalmouth scrum for his fourth goal.
Bratt tied it again at 16:11, stealing the puck from a Sabres defender and speeding in to beat Comrie for his fourth goal. Bratt is second on the Devils with 11 points.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.
Sabres: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
Allan Kreda, The Associated Press
