Evander Kane scores both of Buffalo’s goals in the 6-2 loss to the Devils.
By Joe Yerdon / NHL.com Correspondent
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jesper Bratt and Marcus Johansson each had two goals and an assist to help the New Jersey Devils to a 6-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Monday.
Bratt and Johansson combined for all four Devils goals in the second period.
After Sabres forward Evander Kane scored the first of his two goals at 5:02 of the second period past Cory Schneider to bring Buffalo within 2-1, Bratt made it 3-1 21 seconds later with a shorthanded goal. Bratt and Adam Henrique had a 2-on-1 break against Sabres defenseman Nathan Beaulieu. Henrique passed to Bratt, who scored with a backhand shot past Chad Johnson.
It was the fourth shorthanded goal allowed by the Sabres in the first three games.
Johansson made it 4-1 at 7:49 when he received a drop pass from Taylor Hall after Hall stripped the puck from Beaulieu.
Hall set up Bratt for the rookie’s second goal at 12:19 to make it 5-1. Bratt cut to the net from the slot, where Hall found him with a slap pass and Bratt tipped the puck past Johnson for his third goal of the season. Bratt set up Johansson for his second goal on a 2-on-1 against Beaulieu at 18:56 that made it 6-1.
Kane’s second goal and fourth of the season made it 6-2 at 17:03 of the third period.
Brian Gibbons had a goal and an assist for New Jersey (2-0-0) in the first period. His pass to Stefan Noesen went off Noesen’s face and past Johnson at 6:28. Nico Hischier, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, recorded his first NHL point when he set up Gibbons to make it 2-0 at 18:56.
Johnson made 16 saves in two periods for Buffalo (0-2-1) and was replaced by Robin Lehner in the third. Lehner made nine saves. Schneider made 23.