5 Takeaways | Reinhart scores twice in win over Devils

Ralph Krueger felt the effect on the bench was tangible after Colin Miller saw his shot from the point find the back of the New Jersey Devils' net during the first period on Saturday.
The goal was the Sabres' first at 5-on-5 since returning from a two-week hiatus on Monday and gave them their first lead in that same span. They never looked back in a 3-2 victory at Prudential Center, snapping a four-game losing streak that extended back to Jan. 31.
"You could feel without anybody saying too much that it really relaxed the group and we could settle into the game that we wanted to play," Krueger said.
Sam Reinhart scored two goals in the victory while Linus Ullmark made 25 saves. Here are five takeaways.

1. The need for net-front traffic had become a consistent topic of conversation as the Sabres struggled to score at even strength during the past week. It was highlighted again Saturday morning given the fact the Sabres were facing a goaltender in Mackenzie Blackwood who entered the contest undefeated in regulation at 4-0-1.
Blackwood looked the part early, stopping grade-A chances by Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens during the first five minutes. When the Sabres finally beat him on Miller's shot, scored 5:26 into the contest, it came as the result of a crossing screen from Eric Staal.

"I think that's been an emphasis lately," Miller said. "You need to get bodies to the net. I think that's normally where you score the majority of the goals. … Staalsy did a fantastic job on the one that went in for me."
A similar play led to the Sabres' second goal, which once against came on a shot from the point during the second period. This time, Reinhart tipped the shot from Matt Irwin as he skated through the slot.

2. The Devils made a push during the third period, striking early with a goal from Kyle Palmieri and cutting the deficit to one on a power-play goal by P.K. Subban with 3:16 remaining.
That said, the Sabres still finished the game with an 11-2 edge in high-danger shot attempts at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. Krueger called it the forward group's most complete effort of the season.
"Right off the bat, I think we were connected as a group," said forward Taylor Hall, who tallied an assist in his return to New Jersey.
"D and forwards were making plays," he continued. "There weren't a lot of bobbled pucks, there weren't a lot of guys rushing plays or just giving the puck up to another guy hoping he would make a play. We were enforcing just our style of play on the game and it was evident right away."
3. Not all the news was positive. Defenseman Jake McCabe left the game during the third period after tangling his right leg with the leg of Devils forward Nico Hischier on an attempted hit in the corner. McCabe was tended to on the ice before being helped off by teammates.
McCabe, an alternate captain, has been a consistent presence for the Sabres on the back end. He spent the early part of the season as one half of a duo that performed among the NHL's best along with Rasmus Ristolainen, who is still set to miss time as he recovers from a bout with COVID-19.

"I'll be honest with you, I'm very concerned," Krueger said. "And we don't have a final diagnosis yet, but it rips my heart out to see what Jake has gone through. … There's a big, big ache in my heart which the win certainly can't neutralize."
4. Krueger said before the game that Cozens was "flying" during the team's practice on Friday, suggesting the rookie could inject a bit of youthful energy in his return to the lineup. Cozens had not played since being removed from the COVID-related absence list on Wednesday.
The premonition was quickly vindicated when Cozens earned a chance on the rush and then helped create net pressure on Miller's goal. High-danger chances were in Buffalo's favor, 3-0, with the line of Hall, Staal, and Cozens on the ice.
"He thinks the game at a high level and he's only going to get better and better as he plays more games," Hall said. "He just took two weeks off, two and a half weeks off in between games and for a guy who did that, he looked great.
"He's such a good skater. He has a long reach. As a forechecker and as a puck battler, for such a young age he's very advanced there and that's what the NHL's about. That's probably the hardest thing to get used to is just playing against men and having to forced your will on games and he seems to be able to do that."

5. The Sabres power play entered Saturday having scored at least one goal in seven of its past eight games. Victor Olofsson factored in on a power-play goal in six of those contests.
The Devils must have been watching. With the penalty killers' attention focused on Olofsson, Jack Eichel hit a wide-open Reinhart at the backdoor early on the Sabres' lone power play of the afternoon.

"We were able to recognize early in the power play that they weren't really, you know, focusing on me too much," Reinhart said. "I think Eichs kind of did two takes and on the second one he was able to find the backdoor play after a little adjustment."