It was another one of those games that the Sabres deserved a better fate but reality is they are now winless in nine consecutive games. The Sabres were the better team for at least 40 minutes but in the end the Devils won the game in a shootout by a score of 3-2. The Sabres got on the board early with a strange goal by Daniel Paille. Brian Campbell got a pass from Drew Stafford and backhanded off the skate of Daniel Paille, by Martin Broduer for a 1-0 Buffalo lead. The second goal was equally as strange with Daniel Paille firing a shot from near the goal line, it appeared to fool Broduer and slipped through his pads. The goal was the second for Paille and for the Sabres who went ahead 2-0.
The Devils inched closer in the second period on a goal scored by defenseman Paul Martin. Martin took a simple wrist shot from the point and Ryan Miller tried to snare it with his glove but missed. It was a shot that Miller would stop 99 out of 100 times but not last night. The Devils had an opportunity to tie the game in the third with a four minute power play after Ales Kotalik took a penalty for high sticking. The Devils did eventually tie the game with 1:07 left in regulation time on a goal by David Clarkson. The Devils received goals from Zach Parise and Patrick Elias in the shootout while the Sabres were unable to beat Broduer.
The teams get a little easier for Buffalo but they are still on the road for most of January. They will next be in action on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York against the New York Rangers.