Perhaps the goaltender matchup we will see in the Olympics.
Ryan Miller vs. Martin Brodeur
Buffalo had a chance to move back into first place in the division with a win.
Not tonight. The Devils were all over the Sabres. Buffalo struggled to get anything going all night long.
Brian Rolston scored the first goal of the game towards the end of the first. About a minute later, Travis Zajac took a shot that went right through Ryan Miller.
Miller did not look on top of his game tonight, but either did the Sabres. To start the second, Jamie Lagenbrunner scored a powerplay goal and just like that the Devils had a 3-0 lead.
New Jersey outshot Buffalo 12-5 in the first period, and clearly looked like the better team.
After New Jersey kept putting pressure on in the offensive zone, Buffalo finally started to show some effort. They began getting chances, but still not many shots.
The Sabres had a couple of powerplays in the second, but still could not get much going. With Brodeur facing only 12 shots after two periods, Buffalo was not going to have much of a chance to score.
Buffalo came out much stronger in the third, but it didn’t matter. New Jersey was rolling all four lines, playing the trap, and in defense mode. The Sabres only managed 22 shots on the night, making it easy for Brodeur.
Lindy Ruff and the Sabres will want to forget this one soon. They need to get ready to face the Capitals on Wednesday.
With the shuout, Martin Brodeur moves into a tie with Terry Sawchuk for the all time lead in shutouts with 103. The scary part is Brodeur is still going strong. He looks like he has years left to play.
Buffalo has now lost the last two games, with tough matchups coming up. Washington and Chicago will both be making trips to face the Sabres this week.