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The New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres played a truly back-and-forth game on Friday. The teams traded the lead a few times and never allowed the other to gain a massive advantage over them. Some of New Jersey's offensive output on Friday came from an unlikely source: veteran forward Erik Haula.
Haula certainly isn't a slouch on the ice. He did score 29 goals for the Vegas Golden Knights during their magical inaugural season in 2017-18. But the 32-year-old is not known as a goal scorer. That didn't stop him from scoring twice against the Sabres on Friday. He almost had a hat trick in this game, too. Unfortunately, luck just wasn't on his side.
Erik Haula broke his stick trying to finish off the hat trick with an empty netter 😶#NJDevils pic.twitter.com/Hodn8wkV8R
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 28, 2023
After the game, Haula spoke to the media. His stick-break came up in conversation, and the veteran shared his reaction. “It’s a little sad. I don’t have a hat trick, so I don’t how much closer to that I’m going to get,” the Devils forward said, via ESPN. ”But it would have been worse if they tied that up.”
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Haula scored his first goal on the penalty kill in the second period. It gave the Devils a 3-2 lead at the time, but New Jersey wouldn't hold onto the lead for long. Rasmus Dahlin scored for the Sabres a few minutes later to tie the game again.
In the third period, the game was 4-4 with a little under six minutes left. Kevin Bahl took a shot from the point, and Haula's net-front presence put him in the right spot to tip the puck home. It gave the Devils a 5-4 lead that they would hold on to until the final horn.
New Jersey has won three of their last four games after a shaky two-game stretch. The Devils are in action on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild as they look to keep the momentum going.
