Mittelstadt breaks tie in third period for Sabres in win against Devils

NEWARK, N.J. -- Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin each had a goal and an assist for the Buffalo Sabres in a 5-3 win against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Tuesday.

Mittelstadt scored a power-play goal with a tip-in from the slot at 10:20 of the third period to give the Sabres a 4-3 lead. Dahlin kept the puck inside the blue line at the point before passing to Mittelstadt from the right face-off circle.
"We don't win that game without [Dahlin] rising to the level he can rise to," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "He made a couple of big plays to tip that game back our way. That play is exactly why we need him playing with confidence. When you're not confident, you second guess the bounce of that puck, you hesitate, and then it's a break going the other way.
"But when you're in the zone, you react on instincts, and his instincts are incredible."
Buffalo (9-23-6) extended its point streak to five games and is 3-0-1 since an NHL shootout-era record 18 games without a win (0-15-3) ended with a 6-1 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 31.
Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the Sabres, who host the Devils on Thursday in the second of the home-and-home set.
"Obviously it's been documented pretty well we had a tough stretch there, but it's good to get rewarded," Mittelstadt said. "I think we work hard and it's good to get rewarded. It's good to have the guys have smiles on their faces, see guys having fun. We have to remember the feeling and keep going."
Pavel Zacha and Jesper Bratt each had a goal and an assist, and Scott Wedgewood made 13 saves for the Devils (13-18-6), who are 0-2-2 in their past four games.
"We just didn't play good enough today," Bratt said. "I think we had some good looks but we need to be better as a group. It's a hard division and you've got to compete. I think we have another gear and we need to get it fixed up for next game."
Rasmus Ristolainen scored an empty-net goal at 18:29 for the 5-3 final.
Damon Severson gave the Devils a 1-0 lead off a rebound from the high slot at 4:22 of the first period. Tyce Thompson had the primary assist in his NHL debut.
"It was crazy with emotions, excitement, nerves, but I thought the guys in the room did a good job of keeping me calm," Thompson said. "Just kind of having fun out there. Too bad that we didn't do enough to win."

Rasmus Asplund scored from the right face-off circle after taking a pass from Mittelstadt to tie it 1-1 at 9:56. Mittelstadt extended his point streak to four games (three goals, two assists).
"I know there were some games there wasn't results, but I go home, watch my shifts, and felt like I was making plays and making the right play and figured it'd be a matter of time," Mittelstadt said. "I think I've learned from years past not to get comfortable and just keep pushing every day, sticking with your routine."
Brandon Montour scored on a snap shot from the right face-off circle to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead at 19:17.
Bratt tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal when the puck deflected off his skate at the right post at 19:59. The goal ended an 0-for-16 stretch for New Jersey.
Zacha gave the Devils a 3-2 lead on his rebound while falling to one knee at the right post at 11:03 of the second period.
Dahlin scored on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle to tie it 3-3 at 15:19.
"[Winning] is such a great feeling," Dahlin said. "You see the guys smiling on the bench when we're playing. People do make mistakes, but we just have to keep it going. Everyone has confidence and everyone wants to play with the puck now."

NOTES:Sabres forward Taylor Hall was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, and Devils forward Kyle Palmieri was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Each forward could be moved ahead of the April 12 NHL Trade Deadline. ... Tyce Thompson had two shots in 9:44. His older brother, Sabres forward Tage Thompson, had an assist in 15:25. … Tyce Thompson scored the fifth-fastest point from the start of his NHL debut in Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts history. (Viacheslav Fetisov, 1:09, Oct. 5, 1989; Barry Beck, 2:40, Oct. 14, 1977; Larry Skinner, 3:16, Oct. 5, 1976; Will Butcher, 4:04, Oct. 7, 2017). … Sabres forward Kyle Okposo had an assist and has scored eight points (two goals, six assists) in the past eight games. … Dahlin has scored 99 NHL points. … Montour has scored four goals in the past five games.