Sabres Hope to Spoil Devils’ Momentum in Season Finale Matchup

The New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres face off Sunday afternoon, wrapping up their season series with a game that could impact the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Devils Seeking Consistency After Statement Win

The Devils (3-1-0 in their last four) are coming off one of their best performances of the season, a 5-0 shutout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.

New Jersey dominated the second period, with Ondrej Palat, Luke Hughes, Nathan Bastian, and Dawson Mercer all finding the net. It was the team’s most lopsided win since Dec. 23, when they beat the New York Rangers by the same score.

“This is more like the team that we know we can be and how we’re going to win a lot more games,” said Devils winger Timo Meier. “We can build upon this game, especially those last two periods.”

The Devils are in playoff position, sitting five points ahead of Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division and seven points clear of Tampa Bay, the current second wild-card team in the East.

New Jersey has been above .500 all season, starting with two wins over Buffalo in the NHL Global Series in Prague back in October.

Sabres Embracing Spoiler Role

Buffalo has been stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for most of the season, but they’ve shown flashes of improvement.

The Sabres are 9-7-1 since Dec. 23, with six of those wins coming against teams within four points of a playoff spot.

Buffalo snapped a two-game skid on Friday with a 4-3 win over Nashville. After blowing a 2-0 lead, Jason Zucker tied the game in the second period, and Jiri Kulich netted the game-winner with 2:04 left in regulation.

“We’ve got to continue to build on this,” said Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who had two assists. “It wasn’t pretty for 60 (minutes), but we found a way, and that’s what it takes in this league.”

Can Buffalo Shake Up the Playoff Race?

While New Jersey is pushing for a playoff spot, Buffalo has nothing to lose and is eager to play spoiler in the final meeting of the season.

Key Storylines to Watch:
✅ Can New Jersey keep rolling after their dominant win?
✅ Will Buffalo’s recent fight help them disrupt the playoff race?
✅ How will New Jersey handle another must-win game?

With both teams looking to make a statement, expect a competitive battle in Buffalo.