Nico Hischier blasts ‘immature’ Devils after brutal loss to Sabres

Nico Hischier and the Devils received their first goal from an unlikely source. Depth forward Max Willman found the back of the net in the first period. His third goal of the season gave New Jersey the early edge. Their lead was increased when star winger Jesper Bratt scored his 24th of the campaign.

However, things went downhill from there. Thompson scored two of his four goals in the second period to tie the game. In the third period, he completed the natural hat trick to give Buffalo a 3-2 lead. Winger JJ Peterka extended the lead to two before Thompson put the final nail in the coffin with an empty net goal.

The Sabres won this game coming off a brutal loss to the Ottawa Senators their last time out. In that game, Buffalo went down 5-0 after the first 20 minutes. Thompson acknowledged the similarities between the starts, and mentioned how easy it would have been to phone it in.

“Kind of get off to a similar start, down two, and it would have been easy to kind of just fold the tent and pack it in. I thought we responded the right way. I think that says a lot about the character in the room and the guys we’ve got here,” the Sabres star said, via Sportsnet.

Nico Hischier, Devils face uphill battle

Nico Hischier and the Devils were making a bit of a late-season push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their chances were already slim, but Friday’s loss certainly won’t help matters. The loss to the Sabres means that New Jersey is five points back of the Washington Capitals, who hold the final playoff spot in the East.

Making matters worse is their games played. The Devils have played 74 games this season, which is more than their direct rivals for that final spot. The Detroit Red Wings have one game in hand, and trail the Capitals by just two points. Washington and the New York Islanders have two games in hand over New Jersey.

The Devils have had momentum on their side as of late. In fact, they have won four of their last six games, including Friday’s loss. But this is a game that certainly can prove to be a backbreaker. In any event, New Jersey is a team all fans should keep an eye on with the regular season entering its final month of play.