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Tonight on Versus: Kovalchuk to comeback against Sabres

Brad Boyes, Martin Brodeur

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur stops a shot under pressure from Buffalo Sabres’ Brad Boyes (22) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Saturday, March 26, 2011. The Sabres won 2-0. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

AP

Darn those Sabres for earning a win on Monday night against Montreal because now we’ve got a sincere lack of drama points as the Devils head into Buffalo (7:30 p.m. ET) looking to put a tough loss to Boston behind them. The Devils will do things a bit differently this time around by likely having Ilya Kovalchuk rejoining the lineup after being out with a lower body injury.

The Bruins tying everything together here for both teams shows that while they’ve got a common enemy, their circumstances are vastly different. The Devils were able to run and gun with the Bruins before ultimately coming up short while the Sabres got knocked around and beat up famously by them.

The goalie battle here is an intriguing one. Jhonas Enroth is the youthful upstart taking the place of an injured superstar. Martin Brodeur, meanwhile, is the ultimate goalie superstar and a legend on the ice. Both guys are equally fearless and the Sabres just seem to keep winning with Enroth. Brodeur would love to teach the kid a trick or two.

If you’re looking for scoring, while it may end up being tough to come by, there’s enough to keep everyone locked in. Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville shine for Buffalo while Zach Parise and Patrik Elias carry New Jersey. Kovalchuk will ultimately be the guy to watch here though as he’s a minute-eating forward playing in all facets of the game.

The one side story worth watching here might be whether we see Tyler Myers exiled from the press box after sitting out against Montreal. If he’s back in the lineup, all eyes will be on him to see how he responds to the first benching in his career. New Jersey needs a bounce back win while the Sabres want to string the wins together.