Johansson, Bratt pace Devils past Sabres
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A four-goal burst in the second period led the New Jersey Devils to a 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday afternoon.
Marcus Johansson and Jesper Bratt each had two goals and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Brian Gibbons also scored for New Jersey (2-0-0).
Cory Schneider made 23 saves for the Devils.
Evander Kane scored twice for Buffalo (0-2-1). Chad Johnson allowed six goals on 22 shots before being replaced by Robin Lehner to open the third period.
Noesen opened the scoring at 6:28 on a fortunate deflection. After two shots on goal by Gibbons, his second attempt deflected off Noesen's head and into the net to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.
Nico Hischier picked up his first career point on a spectacular effort just before the end of the first period. The first overall pick from this year's draft avoided multiple Sabres while skating near the right wall before going behind the net. Hischier then found Gibbons, who beat Johnson with a shot to the far side with 1:04 left in the first.
Kane got the Sabres on the board with a breakaway goal 5:02 into the second, but the Devils went on an offensive explosion to put the game away.
Just 21 seconds later, Bratt buried a short-handed goal to give New Jersey a 3-1 lead. Center Adam Henrique showed patience before Bratt finished a 2-on-1 chance.
Another 2-on-1 Devils' opportunity found the back of the net minutes later. Following a giveaway by Sabres defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, Taylor Hall fed Johansson to make it 4-1 at 7:49.
Bratt picked up his second of the afternoon with 7:41 left in the second. The left winger deflected Hall's hard pass from the right circle to make it 5-1.
Johansson capped the period with 1:04 remaining on New Jersey's sixth goal. This time, Bratt fed Johansson on a 2-on-1.
Kane got his second of the game with 2:57 remaining.
NOTES: Sabres RW Kyle Okposo changed uniforms midway through the first period; his initial jersey was misspelled "Okoposo.". ... D Josh Gorges, C Jordan Nolan and Zach Bogosian (lower body) were scratched for the Sabres. Gorges and Nolan were healthy scratches. ... RW Drew Stafford, C Kyle Palmieri and D Dalton Prout were scratched for the Devils. Palmieri had two assists in New Jersey's season opener but suffered a lower-body injury in the game. ... The next meeting between the two teams is on Feb. 6 in New Jersey. ... This was the first of three meetings between the teams this season.