Sabres outshoot, outscore Red Wings in third consecutive victory.
Score: Sabres 5, Red Wings 3
Shots: BUF: 39, DET: 25
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Jason Zucker( 1), (PPG), Tage Thompson (6), (7), Bowen Byram (1), Jack Quinn (1), (EN)
Detroit Red Wings: Alex DeBrincat (4), Michael Rasmussen (2), Lucas Raymond (1), (SHG)
Plus 1: Zucker Scores on the PP
A little over four minutes into the opening period, Jason Zucker beat Red Wings’ goalie Alex Lyon with a wrist shot to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead. What made it even better was the goal came on a power play, the Sabres’ first PP goal of the season and Zucker’s first as a Sabre. Buffalo usually can’t capitalize with the man advantage, so watching the Sabres score on a 5-on-4 was wonderful to witness. Fans would definitely like to see more of those.
Plus 2: Tic Tac Thompson Makes it Two, then Three
The Sabres weren’t finished scoring yet. Midway through the first, Tage Thompson made it 2-0 Buffalo thanks to a feed from JJ Peterka in a perfect tic-tac-toe play that found the back of Detroit’s net. After a drop in offensive production last season, No. 72 netted a goal in four of his last five matchups. TNT is blowing things up on the ice again and it couldn’t come at a better time for a franchise that needs to pile up the points.
Thompson had another goal in him, getting it 3:20 into the second period, with an assist from Rasmus Dahlin. TNT’s second of the day gave the Sabres some insurance after Alex DeBrincat responded to No. 72’s first wrist shot late in the first. Thompson will have to keep scoring that way if he wants to improve on last year’s stats.
Plus 3: Byram Takes Back the Lead
The Detroit Red Wings were quick to answer almost every time Buffalo scored, with Alex DeBrincat getting the Wings’ first goal some two minutes after Thompson made it 2-0. Michael Rasmussen then backhanded the puck past UPL to respond to TNT’s second goal and Lucas Raymond evened the score with a shorthander midway through the second period.
The Sabres were on the ropes, blowing their early lead and letting the Wings back in the game. Bo Byram lifted the dejected home crowd’s spirits, getting a deflected wrist shot past Lyon to make it 4-3 Sabres. Byram’s first goal this season gave fans some hope and happened at just the right moment.
Plus 4: Quinn Closes it Out
The Sabres had to kill off the back half of a Dylan Cozens tripping penalty going into the final 20 minutes and a Sam Lafferty hooking minor halfway through the third. Unlike previous contests where the Sabres took their foot off the gas, the hosts stepped up the pressure, keeping the puck in the Red Wings’ zone for long stretches and limiting Detroit’s scoring opportunities.
It was inevitable the visitors would pull their goalie for the extra attacker, but Jack Quinn found the back of the Wings’ net with a long wrister that rocketed down the ice and put this one out of reach with 47 seconds to go.
Final Thoughts
JedLightSabre13 had the Comment of the Game: “It wasn’t easy, in fact it was harder than it should have been but a win is a win.” After the Sabres had a strong start during the first period, making it 2-0, the Red Wings came back and eventually tied it midway through the game, with some goals that looked a little too easy, including Raymond’s shorthander that gave fans an understandable conniption fit.
However, Bo Byram got a 4-3 lead and the Sabres beat off two Detroit PP scoring chances in the third and some late heavy pressure to skate away with two points. UPL and Buffalo’s D, after some sloppy turnover and quick goals, buckled down during the game’s second half to keep the visitors from winning this one. They stymied two great Patrick Kane scoring chances that might have tied it and Jack Quinn closed it out with less than a minute remaining. The Sabres can’t let opponents mount a comeback and must win battles the way they did this afternoon. If they do, they’ll finish this season much stronger than they have in a long time.
Next up, the Sabres host the Florida Panthers on Monday night. Puck drop is at 7:00 pm at KeyBank Center.