Field Level Media
24 Mar 2023, 07:19 GMT+10
When Lindy Ruff returns to the city he long called home Friday night, his New Jersey Devils will be looking to steady themselves for the trip to the playoffs the Buffalo Sabres still haven't made since dismissing him as head coach over a decade ago.
The Devils will look to snap a late-season slump when they visit the reeling Sabres in the second of three regular-season games between the clubs.
Both teams have been off since absorbing frustrating defeats Tuesday. Matt Boldy scored on the breakaway with 1.3 seconds left in overtime to lift the visiting Minnesota Wild past the Devils, 2-1. The host Sabres endured another multi-goal defeat when the Nashville Predators rolled to a 7-3 victory.
The last-second loss cost the Devils (45-18-8, 98 points) a chance at the extra winner's point in the shootout and an opportunity to remain a point behind the Carolina Hurricanes -- who reached 100 points with a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers -- in the Metropolitan Division race. The Hurricanes were slated to complete a home-and-home set with the Rangers on Thursday night.
"It's frustrating, but what are you going to do?" said Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek, who made 27 saves. "I didn't look at the clock. I was just focused on the breakaway."
The loss was the fourth in the last five games (1-2-2) for the Devils, but the nail-biter provided another reminder of what playoff hockey will be like. New Jersey, which entered Thursday 19 points clear of the ninth-place Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference, is all but assured of reaching the postseason for the first time since the spring of 2018.
"That's how it's going to be this time of year (between) two teams that are going to the playoffs," Devils left winger Jesper Bratt said after the Wild climbed into a tie for first place in the Central Division with the Dallas Stars. "Not a lot of scoring chances and tight defense all game."
The Sabres (33-31-6, 72 points) appeared as if they might have a chance to break the NHL's longest playoff drought when they acquired defenseman Riley Stillman and left winger Jordan Greenway while in the thick of the wild-card race as the trade deadline arrived on March 3.
But the Sabres have lost eight of 10 (2-6-2) since March 4 to go from four points back in the race for the second wild card to eight points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins entering Thursday. Four of their last six losses have been by at least three goals and two have been by at least six goals.
"I think it's the first time in a while this team's been close to the playoffs," Sabres center Tage Thompson said. "We wanted to be the group that can push and get there, so that comes (with) added pressure. But we've got to learn how to play with that."
The Sabres haven't made the playoffs since Ruff was behind their bench in the spring of 2011. Buffalo has employed six coaches since Ruff -- who coached a franchise-record 1,165 regular season games and 101 playoff contests while directing the Sabres to one Stanley Cup Finals appearance and three trips to the Eastern Conference finals -- was dismissed 17 games into the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of The UK News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to The UK News.
More InformationWASHINGTON D.C.: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has announced that 2nd Lt. James Litherland of South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, an Army ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh - The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against 13 members of Grameen Telecom's board of directors, ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. Commerce Department has said that trade ministers from 14 countries have taken part in the US-led ...
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky: Two horses that succumbed to their injuries at Churchill Downs have become the 11th and 12th fatalities over ...
FREMONT, California: Brain implant company Neuralink announced that it has received approval from US regulators to begin human brain implant ...
JEFFERSONVILLE, Indiana: Randy Lankford, owner of Lankford Funeral Home and Family Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, has pleaded guilty to more ...
New Delhi [India], June 1 (ANI): The India U-17 men's football team landed in Thailand two weeks ahead of their ...
Madrid [Spain], June 1 (ANI): Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid following his contract expiry this month to join Saudi ...
The Philadelphia Union signed midfielder Jose Martinez to a new contract through the 2025 season. The deal announced Thursday includes ...
PARIS, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Lionel Messi is to play his last match for Paris Saint-Germain against Clermont on Saturday, ...
BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan Three Towns forward Tao Qianglong expressed gratitude to his teammates after being voted the ...
By Vipul KashyapNew Delhi [India], June 1 (ANI): The knee surgery of legendary Indian wicketkeeper, batter and skipper MS Dhoni ...