Krebs pushed it to 2-0 when he scored on a wrist shot from the left hash marks at 10:36 of the third period. Thompson stole the puck from Hughes and skated down the slot before passing to Krebs, who scored from the left circle.
“I just got a quick turnover in the neutral zone there and saw [Krebs] flying and kind of airmailed the sauce,” Thompson said. “But Krebs knocks it down and makes a great skill play there, knocking it down and then going short side up over [Allen’s] shoulder.
“A really beautiful goal, big goal, at that time of the game.”
Meier cut it to 2-1 at 17:30, scoring on a rebound in the slot with Allen pulled for the extra attacker.
“I thought the start was good and we had chances that just didn’t go in,” Meier said. “Especially in these games, you can’t fade away from defending the right way, and that’s what cost us the game tonight.”
The Devils missed the net on two breakaways while short-handed. Jesper Bratt put a backhand over the crossbar at 18:05 of the first, and Nico Hischier shot wide of the left post at 17:21 of the second.
NOTES: Thompson extended his point streak to five games (three goals, three assists), marking his fourth point streak of at least that length this season. Thompson has 19 points (12 goals, seven assists) in his past 16 games against New Jersey, the most goals and points by a Sabres player against the Devils over that span (dating to April 6, 2021). … Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who played for Team Sweden at the Olympics, had a seven-game point streak end. … With 72 points, Buffalo is on pace to finish with 101, which would be its most in a season since 2006-07 (113). … The Devils honored all seven of their 2026 Olympians prior to the game (Hischier, Jonas Siegenthaler and Meier with Team Switzerland; Simon Nemec with Team Slovakia; Jacob Markstrom and Bratt with Sweden; and Hughes).
