"Hello to wildcard spot" "Fire Fitzgerald": NHL fans react as Buffalo Sabres clinch victory in 4-3 thriller over New Jersey Devils

On Sunday afternoon, the Buffalo Sabres beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 at KeyBank Center. New Jersey dropped to 29-19-6 (64 points), while Buffalo improved to 21-26-5 (47 points) with the win.

The Devils had won three of their past four games heading into Sunday, sitting third in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind Carolina (68 points). They were unable to carry that momentum into Buffalo. Devil fans weren't thrilled with their team's performance.

"Say hello to the wildcard spot," one fan wrote on X.

"Fire Fitzgerald," another fan wrote.

"This team is terrible. Another 2 easy points given away. Sharks Ducks flyers sabres. Bottom dwelling teams that we can’t get crucial points from. Dougie is terrible. Get rid of everyone," another fan added.

As upset as New Jersey fans were, Sabres fans rubbed salt into the wound.

"HAHAHAHAHA LOSERS HAD THE REFS AND STILL LOST LMAOOOO," one fan wrote.

"IMAGINE LOSING TO THE MOST EMBARRASSING TEAM IN THE LEAGUE," added another fan.

"Jack Hughes is the Dak Prescott of the NHL," one more fan wrote.

This was the third and final matchup between the two teams in the 2024-25 campaign. New Jersey went 2-1-0 in the season series against Buffalo.

The Devils remained without captain Nico Hischier on Sunday afternoon

It was the Devils' third straight game without their captain Nico Hischier, who's been sidelined due to an upper-body injury. Hischier suffered the injury during New Jersey's 4-3 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 25.

The Devils have gone 1-2-0 in his brief absence, appearing to feel the effects of missing one of their top forwards. Hischier had recorded 43 points (24 goals, 19 assists) in 51 games. He owns the second-highest odds to win the Selke Trophy (best defensive forward), according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.

They will need other forwards to step up should their captain remain out of the lineup for a prolonged time.

New Jersey will head to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.