Plotlines to keep an eye on between Buffalo Sabres and the New Jersey Devils

2. Can Linus Ullmark stay hot?

Goaltending was a problem for the Buffalo Sabres in the opening week or so of the 2020-21 NHL season, and it didn’t help that Linus Ullmark missed a couple of games due to personal reasons. However, since returning to the fold, he has been pretty, pretty good between the pipes and he will need to be at his best should he get the start today.

Currently boasting a 2.51 Goals Against Average and a .915 Save Percentage, Ullmark is stopping General Manager Kevyn Adams from going out and acquiring a new netminder for now, but he will need to tighten up on a few things and show a lot of consistency to his game if he is to establish himself as a true No. 1 goalie for the Sabres.

We did see some signs of it on Thursday night when Ullmark stood on his head against the New York Rangers, stopping 36 of the 39 shots he faced and saving all 10 shots he faced while the Sabres were shorthanded. He was the lone reason why Buffalo made it to Overtime after producing a sublime save to deny Alexis Lafreniere, although he was eventually beaten by the rookie in OT.

However, Linus Ullmark could not be faulted for that loss but he will face a tough task today given some of the weapons that the New Jersey Devils have at their disposal. For instance, Jack Hughes has been a revelation in his sophomore season with three goals and four assists for seven points in seven games, while rookie defenseman Ty Smith has been outstanding with six points (1 G, 5 A) in seven games. With the likes of Miles Wood and Kyle Palmieri on the roster, the Devils have plenty of players who provide a scoring punch and Linus Ullmark will need to be hot once again if the Buffalo Sabres are to take game one of this back-to-back set.