The New Jersey Devils spent their Black Friday in Buffalo as they took on the Sabres. It was more like Blank Friday…on the heels of a 42-save Jake Allen shutout, they blanked former head coach Lindy Ruff’s Sabres, 5-0.
Related: Devils Shut Out Sabres for 5-0 Victory
Arseny Gritsyuk’s Well-Rounded Game Stands Out
When the 24-year-old Arseny Gristyuk finally came over to North America after being drafted in 2019, the team knew they were getting a lethal shot. What fans didn’t know, however, was that his defensive game was wise beyond his years.
Last season, Gritsyuk’s plus-22 rating led his entire team in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). But with the league’s different ice size and style of play, it wasn’t necessarily an indication that he’d be a defensive stalwart at the NHL level. The Devils should be super grateful he is.
Per Evolving Hockey, Gritsyuk is in the 90th percentile in defensive impact. This allows the Devils to often place him against top competition without reservation.
But don’t get it twisted: his offensive ability is not too shabby at all. With two goals tonight, he’s now on pace for ~21 goals and 39 points, which is much needed depth scoring the Devils failed to get in previous seasons.
Tonight, in Gritsyuk’s 13:34 of ice time, the Sabres had just two high danger chances. They had 12 when he wasn’t on the ice.
Jake Allen Bounces Back
For the majority of the season, Jake Allen has been phenomenal. However, he certainly had a rough one in Philadelphia, giving up minus-2.84 goals above expected in just a 26 second span. (via Moneypuck)
That’s the beauty of having a reliable veteran: they’re typically able to shake off poor outings like it’s nothing. Tonight, Allen was spectacular, stopping +4.58 goals above expected — the best performance by a Devil this season.
For the season, his save percentage is now a remarkable .919%. Most teams would do anything for that level of production from their backup/1B goaltender.
Finally: Positive Finishing.
After scoring seven 5v5 goals above expected in their first nine games, the Devils had since scored 7.39 goals below expected, as they consistently struggled to find twine — especially on the end of their road trip, causing them to drop three straight.. (via Natural Stat Trick)
It seems like that’s changing. Tonight marked the third game in a row where they had above average 5v5 finishing: +3.26 above expected. It shouldn’t be a coincidence that they’ve won all three games. Nico Hischier, Gritsyuk (twice), Brenden Dillon and Paul Cotter were the goal scorers.
Move so nasty you’re gonna need to watch it 47 times. pic.twitter.com/3XUIDvG6SO
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) November 28, 2025
That trend, along with great goaltending, helped the Devils finally get back to .500 on the road (7-7-0). Coming in, they had given up 3.69 goals per road game — 5th-worst in the league. Given that their home success is at least somewhat unsustainable (they’ve still yet to suffer a regulation loss)…playing consistently well on the road is vital.
Moving Forward
The Devils — now 16-7-1 — will head right home to face the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow night (7:00 PM EST).
