Nico Hischier Injury Update The New Jersey Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/latest-news/utica-comets-check-in-simon-nemec-making-strides-in-his-defensive-game-new-jersey-devils] gave themselves a chance in the third period of Sunday afternoon's game against the Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/]. The club clawed its way back from a 3-0 first-period deficit, but it ultimately didn't matter as the Sabres handed the Devils a 4-3 regulation loss. "We put ourselves in that position early," Paul Cotter said to NJD.TV [https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/topic/raw-interviews/cotter-post-raw-2-2-25-6368167360112]. "Normally, when a team gets a lead like that, it's pretty hard to come back. Our start needs to be a lot better." Cotter scored New Jersey's first two goals and is one away from matching his career-high from the 2022-23 season. Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka, Ryan McLeod, and Jason Zucker scored for the Sabres while Jack Hughes scored the third goal for the Devils. "It's losing hockey," head coach Sheldon Keefe said to MSGN [https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/topic/raw-interviews/keefe-post-raw-2-2-25-6368169289112]. Keefe was asked about the first period and said, "Just not respecting their best players, and they embarrassed us." Keefe made a goaltending change to start the third period, swapping Allen for Nico Daws, who made his first appearance of the season. The veteran made 23 saves on 27 shots, while the youngster stopped all seven shots faced. “He tightened up a little bit,” Keefe said of Allen. “Was fine to continue but down 4-1 and the type of workload that he had, that was all I needed to hear to get him out and give Nico (Daws) a chance.” Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt were on the ice for all four Sabres goals, and after the game, Bratt took the blame. "I take responsibility for my own performance in the first and our line," Bratt said to NJD.TV [https://www.nhl.com/devils/video/topic/raw-interviews/bratt-post-raw-2-2-25-6368168620112]. "It wasn't really detailed. Small bounces and small decisions where we weren't detailed enough. We didn't give the rest of the team a chance to come in with a better situation in the second. We just weren't ready, myself included." The Devils' dynamic duo pulled their team within one with 14:28 remaining in the game, but the damage was already done. The Devils' record is 29-18-6, which puts them in third place in the Metropolitan Division. They are six points behind the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/] and five points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/]. New Jersey will travel to Pennsylvania and play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/] for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. The Mental Side of the Game: Devils Players & Mental Skills Coach Andy Swärd Take You Behind the Scenes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/players/new-jersey-devils-jesper-bratt-alexander-holtz-nico-hischier-andy-sward] EXCLUSIVE: Q&A With MSG Networks Host & Analyst Rachel Herzog [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/latest-news/exclusive-q-a-with-msg-networks-host-analyst-rachel-herzog-new-jersey-devils] Hischier’s Manager Patrick Fischer: 'He’s Driven to Succeed, but Not Easily Satisfied [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/features/hischiers-manager-patrick-fischer-hes-driven-to-succeed-but-not-easily-satisfied]' [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/features/hischiers-manager-patrick-fischer-hes-driven-to-succeed-but-not-easily-satisfied]
