Saturday, November 25, 2023, the New Jersey Devils ended their three-game losing streak and welcomed Nico Hischier back onto the ice after an upper-body injury earlier in the team’s season, coincidently occurred against the same team, the Buffalo Sabers.
The Devils have not had the easiest start to the season regarding injuries. Both Captain Nico Hischier and star player Jack Hughes were out several games due to upper body injuries as well as teammate Timo Meier who is still out due to a lower body injury.
Hughes returned back on the ice to face the New York Rangers on Saturday, November 18.
Hughes scored the first goal from the Devils within the first period of the game. A small victory upon his return however the team faced defeat with a final score of 5-3.
On November 22, the Devils took on the Detroit Red Wings but lost 4-0, unable to get points on the board.
Friday, November 24, the Devils were back home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Many fans anticipated a victory for the Devils due to the Blue Jakcets’ low seed in the Metropolitan Division however the team lost yet again with a 2-1 score.
Alexander Holtz was the only scoring player from the Devils that game although several attempts were made by Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. With a few minutes left of the final period, goalie Akira Schmid was pulled from the ice but it was not enough to tie the game in the suspension seconds remaining.
The long-awaited turnover came the following day as the Buffalo Sabres came to the Prudential Center. Captain Nico Hischier made his debut back after his upper body injury which resulted in an 11-game absence.
Hischier scored the third goal following Holtz and Tyler Toffoli. Ondrej Palat followed the captain, taking the Devils into the second period 4-0. During the second period, Jeff Skinner would give Buffalo their first point of the game. Toffoli would later score his second goal for the Devils that night.
Going into the third period, both teams would score, Dawson Mercer from the Devils followed by Kyle Okposo of the Sabres. Luke Hughes scored the last goal for the Devils, his second goal of the season, giving the Devils a 5-point win over the Buffalo Sabres. Ending their losing streak with a 7-2 game.
With their captain back and a victory, the Devils will next face the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
