PRAGUE — Paul Cotter had a goal and an assist in his Devils debut as New Jersey beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 on Friday in the NHL regular-season opener played in the Czech Republic capital.
Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who was acquired in the offseason in a trade with the Calgary Flames, had 30 saves in his New Jersey debut.
After former NHL great Jaromir Jagr, who still plays in the Czech league, dropped a ceremonial puck, Stefan Noesen became the first scorer of the season 8:39 in to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.
Defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic made it 2-0, and then Nico Hischier scored early into the second before Owen Power got the Sabres on the scoreboard midway through the third.
Cotter made it 4-1 on an open net.
The teams’ series of games on Friday and Saturday is part of the NHL global series.
Two more international games will be played in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 1-2 when defending Stanley Cup champion Florida faces the Dallas Stars.
This is the 11th season the NHL has played in Europe as part of its efforts to grow the fan base in hockey-mad countries like the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and others.
After failing to make the playoffs for the 10th time in 12 seasons, the Devils received valuable contributions from other newcomers besides Markstrom in their opening win.
Coach Sheldon Keefe was hired in May after being fired by Toronto; Kovacevic was acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens and Cotter came in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights and
Before the puck dropped, players and spectators observed 13 seconds of silence to honor Johnny Gaudreau.
The Columbus Blue Jackets forward was killed along with his brother Matthew on Aug. 29 while bicycling in New Jersey.
