New Jersey Devils @ Buffalo Sabres Game Thread – November 28th, 2025

📅 Date: Tonight, 11-28-2025
🕓 Puck Drop: 4:00 p.m. ET
📍 Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY

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🔍 Storylines to Watch

• Buffalo (9-10-4) comes in struggling to stay above .500; home success (8-4-2) offers hope.

• New Jersey (15-7-1) leads the Eastern Conference and enters off a win streak — they’ll test Buffalo’s resolve with their depth and momentum.

• For the Sabres, converting shots and chances into consistent 60-minute efforts will be key — they’ve shown flashes but need to avoid lapses. Recent games saw Buffalo tilt shot volume upward, but results have been mixed.

• For the Devils — if they maintain their intensity on offense and stay disciplined defensively, they could exploit Buffalo’s defensive vulnerabilities. Their comeback mindset and resilience could be a factor tonight.

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📊 Key Players

For Buffalo:

• Alex Tuch — Leading scorer and go-to offensive presence. He’ll need to keep Buffalo competitive.

• Rasmus Dahlin — Critical on blue line, especially in transition defense and power-play setups. Recent games show he’s been one of the Sabres’ more reliable defenders.

• Goalie Alex Lyon — Stability in net will be vital. If he can manage rebounds and weather New Jersey’s offense, Buffalo has a chance.

• Injuries – Jiri Kulich, Josh Norris, and Michael Kesselring are out.

For New Jersey:

• Timo Meier — On a recent goal streak, he brings scoring punch the Devils will count on early.

• Nico Hischier — Hot as of late, his playmaking and two-way ability could test Buffalo’s defensive structure.

• Goalie Jake Allen — With recent strong outings, he’ll aim to lock down the back end and pressure the Sabres’ offense.

• Injuries – Jack Hughes, Zach MacEwen, Brett Pesce, and Evgenii Dadonov are out.

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🔧 What to Watch Tonight

• Finish strong — Buffalo needs a full 60-minute push, not just bursts of offense; lapses could quickly be punished by New Jersey’s skilled forwards.

• Special teams matter — If Buffalo’s power play finds rhythm, and their penalty kill stays composed, they can tilt momentum. For New Jersey, disciplined play on the PK and puck management will be key.

• Goaltending & rebound control — Markstrom vs. Luukkonen; traffic, second-chance chances, and rebound control may decide the game.

• Energy & transition pace — With New Jersey’s speed and Buffalo’s home crowd, the first 10 minutes and neutral-zone battles could set the tone.

• Home ice as a weapon — Buffalo’s better at home this season; feeding off the crowd, a strong crowd-energy, and quick starts could give them an edge over a road-struggling Devils squad.

Game Thread:

1st Period:

20:00- The Sabres have won the opening faceoff and the game is underway.

18:00 – Both teams have had equal possession in the first two minutes, Zach Benson had a good look at net he couldn’t convert.

17:36- Tage and Stefan Noesen drop the gloves and have an EPIC fight. Tage drops Stefan, this packed arena is LOVING it.

17:06  – This game is really chippy right out of the gate.

15:00 – Buffalo is playing with a lot of purpose in the opening 5 minutes of this game.

10:00 – Buffalo has had opportunities, but has yet to convert.

7:52 – Nico Hischier scores for New Jersey. The Devils lead 1-0.

2:30 – Buffalo has kept the pressure on in the offensive zone, just nothing in the way of quality shots on net.

0:00 – The period has ended with New Jersey leading 1-0. First period summary coming up.

1st Period Summary:

It’s a shame Buffalo trails after one, because it felt like in general they won the period. Buffalo outshot New Jersey 10-9, won more faceoffs 7-5, and out hit them 9-4. In general it felt like Buffalo was on the offensive attack for much of the period. Credit to New Jersey’s defense, despite constant pressure Buffalo only had maybe 3-4 good looks at net the whole period. It feels like if Buffalo can play similarly in the second they won’t be trailing in this game.

 

2nd Period:

20:00 – Sabres win the faceoff and the period  is underway.

15:28 – Buffalo misses a wide open look at the net. Quinn just whiffed.

12:15 – Arseny Gritsyuk scores for New Jersey. 2-0 Devils lead.

11:59 – Cody Glass has been penalized for hooking. The Sabres get their first power play attempt of the evening.

9:59 – The Devils successfully kill the penalty.

7:56 – The Sabres are allergic to finding the back of the net right now, it is truly remarkable.

6:21 – Jack Quinn penalized for holding. We will get our first look at the Sabres penalty kill.

4:47 – Arseny Gritsyuk has been penalized 2 minutes for goal tender interference. A brief 4 vs 4 before a Sabres power play.

2:47 – The Devils successfully  kill  the penalty.

0:00 – End of the period.

2nd Period Summary:

That period was essentially the first period on repeat. Sabres had great time of possession, outshot the Devils, and couldn’t find the back of the net. Buffalo needs one early in the second if they want a chance to win this one.

3rd Period:

20:00 – The Sabres have won the opening faceoff and the third period is underway.

18:21 – Brenden Dillon scores for the Devils. New Jersey leads 3-0.

15:20 – It is genuinely remarkable that the Sabres can’t score. They have had so many opportunities. If you were to watch this entire game footage minus the 3 goals that were scored and asked to guess the score, you’d likely guess Buffalo was leading by 2+.

14:38 – Paul Cotter scores on a breakaway for the Devils. New Jersey leads 4-0.

12:02 – Mattias Samuelsson went down with an injury, left blood on the ice.

8:48 – This is going to be a hard loss to swallow for the Sabres today, played with purpose, dominated puck possession… but alas, New Jersey converted every good opportunity that came their way.

3:11 – Arseny Gritsyuk scores for the Devils. New Jersey leads 5-0.