Devils top Sabres to end 6-game skid

BUFFALO — Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each recorded a goal and two assists to help the Devils end their six-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Sabres on Wednesday night.

Hughes’ sixth goal of the season gave the

Devils a 3-2 lead in the third period after a failed Sabres clearing attempt led to a rebound from a shot by Yegor Sharangovich, who scored 2:22 later to make it 4-2.

“You need your best players to make a difference for you and Jack made a difference for us,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “I know it was a three-point night, but he could’ve been in on a couple more opportunities. We count on him for a lot.”

Bratt’s goal gave the Devils a 2-0 edge in the first after a power-play goal from Dougie Hamilton opened the scoring.

“We want to be a leading line and every time we’re on the ice we want to create scoring chances. We want to be a line that brings a lot of energy to the team,” Bratt said about playing with Hughes and Sharangovich.

The Devils returned from the holiday break minus Tomas Tatar and Jimmy Vesey, who are in COVID-19 protocol, for their first game since a 3-2 home loss to Pittsburgh on Dec. 19.

“We were in a pretty big hole there (losing six straight), so for us to get a few days just to refresh and come back to the rink excited, it’s a big deal,” Hughes said. “I think we were all pretty excited coming back and then to start it off with a win, that’s huge for us.”

It was the first game in 12 days for the Sabres after four straight postponements. They were without six players and coach Don Granato, who was placed in COVID-19 protocol on Sunday. Buffalo returned to the ice for the first time since a 3-2 overtime loss at Pittsburgh on Dec. 17. 4 3