When the Sabres were struggling at the start of the season, they could rely on the fact that the one team they could beat was the New Jersey Devils. The Sabres and Devils met three times in a month at the start of the season and the Sabres got five points out of a possible six in those three games.
The Sabres and Devils are two completely different teams from when they met the last time. The Devils and Sabres have shot up the standings since the first of the year but the Sabres have the luxury of being in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference while the Devils are clinging on for dear life in the Eastern Conference.
The Devils lost to the Penguins last night in a shootout in what is also the rare double shutout. Both Marc-Andre Fleury and Martin Brodeur registered shutouts in the Devils 1-0 loss. The Devils are 1-3-1 in their last five games and desperately need a win to stay alive in the playoff hunt. Both these teams are still in desperation mode.
More news and notes after the jump.
- Buffalo's 8-3-2 record during the month of March is their best record in March since the lockout. The best overall record was 10-3-4 in 1979 for a total of 24 points. If the Sabres can win out this month, they can match that point total.
- The Devils 1-0 shootout loss yesterday was the first time that has happened in team history.
- Martin Brodeur has three shutouts in his career against the Buffalo Sabres, which is the lowest total against an Eastern Conference team. One of his most famous shutouts came on December 7, 2009 as he tied Terry Sawchuk on the all-time shutout list.
Game time is 7:00 pm and can be found on MSG.