The NHL is back, and so are the New Jersey Devils. The first night of game action following the Olympic break consisted of eight games. The Devils host the Buffalo Sabres, who face 25 playoff games.
Why like playoffs at this point?
Well, they are on the verge of losing their season with a 2.4% chance of reaching the playoffs. The Devils are 11 points out of a playoff position with little runway to make up any ground.
Jack Hughes—who was in Washington DC yesterday with Team USA, having been invited by the President of the United States to the State of the Union address—remains questionable in terms of his availability. However, barring an unknown injury, it would be surprising to see him sit out.
Washington is only a few hours away by car.
Let's dive into tonight's matchup.
What to know vs Sabers
—The Devils defeated Buffalo in a 5–0 shutout win on November 28 in Buffalo, but lost 3–1 on home ice about a month later.
- Jake Allen recorded 42 saves in the 5-0 shutout, a season-high for the veteran netminder.
2025-26 vs sabers
11/28/25 W 5-0 Key Bank Center
12/21/25 L 3-1 Prudential Center
2/25/26 7:00 PM ET Prudential Center
devils vs sabers
All-time record: 75-51-13-9
All-time home record: 40-25-6-3
All-time road record: 35-26-7-6
Projected Devils Lineup*
Ahead
Timo Meyer - Nico Hischier - Dawson Mercer
Jasper Bratt - Jack Hughes - Connor Brown
Arseny Gritsyuk - Cody Glass - Lenny Haminaho
Paul Couture - Nick Bjugstad - Maxim Tsyplyakov
defenseman
Brett Pesce - Jonathan Kovacevic
Jonas Seigenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Brendan Dillon - Simon Nemec
goaltender
jacob markstrom
jake allen
*Lineup is subject to change
Current injuries: Jack McEwen (upper body, out for the season), Luke Hughes (separated shoulder).
2025-26 Total man-games lost: 255
Projected Sabers Lineup*
Ahead
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Noah Ostlund - Josh Norris - Josh Doan
Josh Dun - Tyson Kozak - Beck Malensteen
defenseman
Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram - Owen Power
Zach Metsa - Michael Kesselring
goaltender
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Alex Lyon
How to watch the Devils game - 7:00 pm ET
See: MSGSN
Radio: Devils Hockey Net
next up
Thu, Feb 26 at 7:00pm PIT
Saturday, February 28, 5:00pm STL
Tuesday, March 3 vs FLA 7:00 PM
