Markstrom opens NHL season thrilling Prague crowd with 30 saves in Devils debut vs. Sabres

Jacob Markstrom made 30 saves to help the New Jersey Devils take a 4-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres at the 2024 NHL Global Series in Prague on Friday.

Johnathan Kovacevic and Paul Cotter each had a goal and an assist for New Jersey.

Owen Power scored, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 19 saves for Buffalo.

The two teams will face off again on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.

Up by a pair after 20 minutes, Nico Hischier extended the Devils' lead at 3:29 of the second period. Nathan Bastian collected the puck below the goal line and sent it out front to the New Jersey captain, who wired a wrist shot from the high slot that went glove side on Luukkonen.

The Sabres started to pick up their game midway through the frame and continued that pressure into the third.

They were finally rewarded at 10:07 of the final period. Defenceman Bowen Byram was in front to send a short pass to JJ Peterka. Peterka went behind the net before dishing over to Power, who was alone at the bottom of the right circle to cut it to 3-1.

Cotter scored an empty-net goal at 17:26 for the 4-1 final.

Stefan Noesen gave the Devils a 1-0 lead in the first period. Kovacevic intercepted Buffalo defenceman Mattias Samuelsson's pass attempt and fed Noesen streaking into the right circle to beat Luukkonen blocker side at 8:39.

Kovacevic made it 2-0 at 15:38. Jonas Siegenthaler took a feed from Dawson Mercer and quickly fed it to Kovacevic, who fired a point shot through traffic that deflected off a Sabres player into the net.

Buffalo held a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal and had out-attempted the Devils 10-4 nearly six and a half minutes into the opening period. But the Sabres struggled to generate offence after that, going nearly nine minutes without a shot on goal.

The Sabres had their best chance of the period with three minutes remaining when Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a wide-open side of the net but was denied by a diving paddle stop by Markstrom.

The Devils, who failed to make the playoffs last spring for the 10th time in 12 seasons, hired former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe in May.

Former NHL great Jaromir Jagr, who still plays in the Czech league, dropped a ceremonial puck.

This is the 11th season the NHL has played in Europe as part of its efforts to grow the local fan base in hockey-mad countries like the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and others.

Two more international games will be played in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 1-2 when defending Stanley Cup champion Florida face the Dallas Stars.

Kings' Doughty has ankle surgery

Los Angeles Kings star defenceman Drew Doughty underwent surgery to repair his fractured left ankle on Friday and is out month to month, the team announced.

Doughty, 34, sustained the injury during a collision with Tanner Pearson in the Kings' 3-2 pre-season win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 25 in Las Vegas.

Doughty won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman in 2015-16 and helped the Kings capture the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.

He is regularly among the league's leaders in ice time, and that was the case last season. Doughty was second at 25 minutes 48 seconds to the Washington Capitals' John Carlson (25:54).

Doughty also led Los Angeles rearguards in scoring with 15 goals and 50 points while playing all 82 regular-season games.

Jack Campbell enters players assistance program

Detroit Red Wings goalie Jack Campbell is entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the league and union announced.

Campbell will be away from the team indefinitely while he receives care from the program.

The 32-year-old from Port Huron, Mich., signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Red Wings in July after previously playing for the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars.

Campbell split last season between the Oilers and the American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors.

He played one pre-season game with Detroit, allowing two goals on 22 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

Under the terms of the program, Campbell can return to the Red Wings for on-ice competition when cleared by administrators.

Golden Knights get cap relief for Lehner: reports

The final year of injured goaltender Robin Lehner's contract will not count against the Vegas Golden Knights' salary cap this season, as a settlement granted the team some cap relief, several reports said Thursday.

Lehner signed a five-year, $25-million US deal that was going to last through the upcoming campaign. But he has not played since the 2021-22 season due to a long-term injury.

He told the Golden Knights he was not able to report to the team at the start of training camp, putting him in violation of his contract because it was deemed mandatory for him to report for a medical exam, the reports said.

"He continues to be unfit to play," Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon told reporters when camp began. "There are unique circumstances surrounding the situation that the NHL, the NHLPA and the club are currently working through."

That settlement has been decided, with Vegas paying Lehner the $4.4 million owed to him but getting his $5 million cap hit taken off the books for 2024-25.

Lehner in the past had revealed personal battles with mental health and addictions and was an advocate on those topics. He was the recipient of the 2019 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which honours the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Also Friday, forward Tanner Pearson signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with Vegas on Friday.

Pearson recorded two goals, three points and plus-4 rating in four games during the pre-season. He had been participating in the team's training camp on a professional tryout agreement.

The 32-year-old had five goals and 13 points in 54 contests last season with the Montreal Canadiens.