Comrie exits loss to Devils with lower-body injury

NEWARK, N.J. – Buffalo Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie sustained a lower-body injury during the second period of a 5-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils inside Prudential Center on Friday.

Comrie was making his third start of the season after posting a .923 save percentage in two previous games. He stopped 18 of 20 shots – including a highlight-reel sequence of saves with the Sabres shorthanded – prior to exiting the game Friday with 10:14 remaining in the middle period.  

The injury occurred after Comrie made save with his right pad on Devils forward Tyler Toffoli.

“It’s unfortunate,” Sabres alternate captain Rasmus Dahlin said. “We really wanted this win for him.”

The Sabres erased two deficits following the injury to Comrie before Erik Haula scored on a deflection for the Devils with 5:43 remaining in the third period, the final blow in what was an eventful game between two of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams from last season.

“I thought overall there were pockets of real good,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “We just need more consistency. We need more real good. And those interruptions in pockets, we’ve got to reduce those obviously. That’s our quest.”

Here’s the breakdown from a busy night in New Jersey.

1. The Sabres twice pulled ahead during the first period on goals from JJ Peterka and Tage Thompson. Both times, the Devils responded within two minutes with goals of their own.

2. Connor Clifton was assessed a match penalty for a hit on Devils captain Nico Hischier with the Sabres leading 2-1 late in the first period. Clifton subsequently fought Ondrej Palat, who also received a 10-minute misconduct and a two-minute instigator penalty along with his fighting major.

“Unfortunate incident, obviously,” Granato said. “I know there was no intent to injure a guy or go after a guy, it was just finishing a hit and it was what it was at that point.”

With the two teams playing 4-on-4 following the altercation, Devils forward Jesper Bratt created a turnover at the Buffalo blue line and buried a breakaway chance to tie the score, 2-2.

3. The Devils got their first lead when Haula intercepted a pass and scored on a shorthanded breakaway late in the second period. This time it was the Sabres who answered in the form of a goal from Dahlin, who buried a one-timer from the blue line to extend his point streak to a career-best seven games.

4. With the score tied 3-3 to open the third period, Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton sent a puck out of play in his own zone, leading officials to convene regarding a potential delay of game penalty – which they ultimately opted against.

“Well, I’ll tell you what I saw,” Granato said afterward. “… The referee closest pointed that it was out of play. You can see that clear as day, that was pointed that way. It’s unfortunate that somewhere in the conversation that changed and then you know what happened after that.”

Within that very same minute, Casey Mittelstadt sent a puck over the glass in the Buffalo zone and was called for delay of game. Jack Hughes put New Jersey ahead on the ensuing power play.

“We end up shorthanded and we could have been on the power play at that point,” Granato said. “So, that’s frustrating, but you’ve got to move on.”

5. The Sabres still had one more answer. Cozens, after carrying the puck with speed into the Devils zone, received a pass from Kyle Okposo beside the net and buried a tough-angle shot to knot the score at 4-4 with 7:25 remaining. The goal extended Cozens’ point streak to a career-best six games.

“It was tight for 60 minutes,” Dahlin said. “They were competing the whole game. Like I said, they’re a good team, they don’t give us much and we don’t give them much. So, it was a good game.”

Up next

The Sabres return home to host the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday afternoon. It will be Hockey Halloween at KeyBank Center, with the first 5,000 fans in attendance receiving commemorative player cards. Find more information on the night here.

Coverage on MSG begins at 12:30 p.m. The puck drops at 1 on MSG/MSG+ and WGR 550.