Postgame Report | Anderson stops 41 shots in loss to Devils

Don Granato felt the Sabres started slow but worked to find their game throughout a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils inside KeyBank Center on Friday, leaving them with plenty to take from a contested meeting with the NHL's hottest team.
The Devils, who had won 13 straight games prior to a loss to Toronto on Wednesday, entered the night ranked fourth in goals per game (3.70) and second in goals allowed per game (2.30). Their plus-323 differential in shot attempts ranked second to the Hurricanes.
"They've got a lot of swagger right now," Granato said. "Their defense, I thought, was pretty dominant pretty early, denied our exits, denied our movement out of our end quick, and that put a little bit of extra pressure on us where their forwards would take advantage of some of their forced mistakes.
"… I liked our fight to find our game and our fight through it. This is a game that will absolutely make us better as a result."
Victor Olofsson scored the lone goal for the Sabres. Craig Anderson made a season-high 41 saves, helping weather the storm early while the Sabres adjusted to Devils' smothering attack.
Each of the game's four goals were scored during the second period. Jack Hughes, Jesper Boqvist, and Tomas Tatar scored for the Devils while Akira Schmid made 33 saves.
"I think the effort was good," Olofsson said. "We came out a little bit slow in the first and they did everything a little bit faster than us. And then we started skating a little bit more, getting pucks deep in the second and worked our way into the game. From there I think it was a tight game."
The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Sabres, who won on back-to-back nights in Montreal on Tuesday and at home against St. Louis on Wednesday.

How it happened

PERIOD 1
The Sabres weathered an early push from the Devils, who took the first five shots on goal and went on to generate a 24-9 advantage in shot attempts at 5-on-5.
Anderson made 16 saves to send the two teams into intermission tied, 0-0.

PERIOD 2
The Devils built a 2-0 lead by the 5:47 mark on the strength of goals from Hughes and Boqvist. Hughes completed a tic-tac-toe passing play on the rush with a one-timer; Boqvist sent a shot in off Anderson's shoulder following a turnover behind the net.
Olofsson buried a feed from Casey Mittelstadt on the rush to put the Sabres on the board with 5:41 remaining, but Tatar scored to restore the Devils' lead before the end of the period.

PERIOD 3
The Sabres were unable to push another puck behind Schmid despite earning quality chances.
Alex Tuch got behind the New Jersey defense on the first shift of the period but saw his backhand attempt drift wide of the net. Kyle Okposo hit the crossbar on a rebound in traffic. Schmid stopped Rasmus Dahlin on a spin-o-rama attempt from the blue paint.
"We played good, we had our chances, and it was a close game," Dahlin said. "So, next time, we know what to do."
Buffalo finished the period with a 13-8 edge in shots.

What we learned

1.Okposo returned from a six-game absence stemming from a lower-body injury. He skated 14:19 with five shots on goal.
2. Olofsson's goal gave him seven goals against the Devils in his career, more than he has scored against any other NHL team.

Up next

The Sabres host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Tickets are available here.
Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops at 7.