5 takeaways | Olofsson, Ullmark spark victory over Devils

Victor Olofsson admitted the sound of pucks ringing the post had become borderline comical before he finally buried a shot behind Mackenzie Blackwood on Tuesday night.
Olofsson and his fellow members of the Buffalo Sabres' top unit had dominated virtually two full power plays with nothing to show for it during the second period of a scoreless game against the New Jersey Devils. Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart both hit posts during the first attempt while Olofsson was stopped on a chance from point-blank range.

When Eichel hit the post again on the team's second power play, all the Sabres captain could do was smirk, shake his head, and go back to work.
"We were just kind of laughing, honestly," Olofsson said. "… We knew it was going to come if we kept moving the puck like that, and eventually it did."
Olofsson put the Sabres on the board with seven seconds remaining on the power play and jolted the offense to life in a 4-1 victory over the Devils at Prudential Center. Rasmus Asplund and Dylan Cozens added goals at even strength while Cody Eakin scored into an empty net.
Linus Ullmark did the rest, stopping 41 shots and preserving a shutout until Nikita Gusev scored with 29.7 seconds remaining.
Here are five takeaways from the victory.

1. Overcoming adversity

It had been a long 48 hours for the Sabres. The defense corps, already missing Rasmus Ristolainen indefinitely, lost Jake McCabe for the season on Monday. It took another blow Tuesday with the loss of promising rookie Will Borgen, who was discovered to have a fracture in his right arm after blocking a shot against the Devils on Saturday.
On top of all that, the Sabres lost a contest to the Islanders on Monday that Krueger admitted may have been its most painful of the season. With the gap between the Sabres and the top four teams in the East Division growing wider, the internal stakes were high going into the game against the Devils.
"It was a playoff feel coming into this game today," coach Ralph Krueger said. "The meetings today, this morning, this afternoon, everybody was really edgy and focused. We're just happy the team responded to that kind of pressure we put on them today."
They found a way to remain persistent in spite of it all. Olofsson and the power play - Buffalo's biggest weapons all season - opened the door, but it was 5-on-5 play that kicked it down.
Asplund, who stepped in for an injured Tobias Rieder in large part for his ability on the penalty kill, batted in a Reinhart shot to extend the Sabres lead early in the third period. Cozens buried a backhand shot less than two minutes later, continuing to show promise on a line with Taylor Hall and Eric Staal.

"You could feel a surge and just a battle and compete level that was impressive when you look at how disappointing the trip had been until now, the quick turnover from yesterday and that very painful loss," Krueger said.
"You know what? We're pleased with just a really solid team effort - like, specialty teams, five-on-five - everybody really participating within the framework that we're trying to do."

2. Ullmark gets the nod

The goaltender started on back-to-back nights for the first time since March 2019, before Krueger was coach. Krueger said the stakes of the game and the low shot count for most of the game Monday factored into the decision.
"Just had a gut feel that he was in a good space and this was a really important game for us today," Krueger said.
Ullmark nearly preserved the shutout with a flurry of sprawling stops when the Devils had Blackwood pulled for an extra attacker. Check out his diving glove save on Gusev, which came seconds before the forward put the Devils on the board:

3. The power play strikes again

The Sabres power play now has at least one goal in 10 of the past 11 games. The lone exception was a shutout loss to the Islanders in which Olofsson had a power-play goal taken off the board due to an offside entry.
Olofsson has been a catalyst through it all with 12 power-play points, tied for second in the NHL behind Connor McDavid.

"He's one of the best players on that side in the National Hockey League right now and somebody we can continue to build on," Krueger said.

4. Bryson makes his debut

Jacob Bryson said prior to making his NHL debut that he would stick to his game, which involves a lot of skating. He wasted little time before putting his playmaking instinct on display during the first period:

Bryson, a fourth-round pick by the Sabres in 2017, skated 17:59 and finished with a plus-2 rating.
"He's a really smart player," Krueger said. "We weren't surprised. There were times he still needed to correct the speed with which things happen, the gaps and how hard they are to get in the NHL. But with the puck, we liked his confidence throughout. He participated in the game without any fear.
"Just another good find for us on the defense, where we're going to need depth moving forward. It was encouraging to see that today."

5. The season series

The Sabres improve to 3-1-0 against the Devils this season with a rematch in Buffalo due up on Thursday. The Sabres can clinch at least a .500 points share of the eight-game season series with a win.
Coverage on Thursday begins at 6:30 p.m. on MSG. The puck drops at 7.