Score: Red Wings 3, Sabres 1
Shots: DET: 24, BUF: 38
Detroit Red Wings Goals: Lucas Raymond (26), Patrick Kane (19), Dylan Larkin (31, PPG)
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Tage Thompson (29, PPG)
Plus 1: TNT Blasts One In
After the Sabres had a sloppy opening period first half, letting in three goals in less than 10 minutes, Tage Thompson answered back with a PP slap shot that calmed angry Buffalo fans down a bit. TNT’s 29th of the season and ninth man advantage goal gave the Sabres some hope.
Last season, No. 72 enjoyed 47 and 20, respectively. While it’s a little late in 2023-24 to match those numbers, it’s always great to watch the 6’6” center find the back of the net.
Minus 1: First Period Woes Doom Sabres Again
Buffalo has a bad habit of letting opponents score early and often and this game was sadly no exception. Red Wings’ forward Lucas Raymond beat UPL with a snap shot just 53 seconds into the first on a Henri Jokiharju turnover.
Some four minutes later, Patrick Kane snapped a wrister past Luukkonen with an assist from Jeff Petry that made it 2-0 Wings. Not to be outdone, Detroit captain Dylan Larkin put the Sabres in a 3-0 deficit just three minutes later on the Red Wings’ first power play.
The Blue and Gold turned up the pressure after that. Thompson scored the team’s only goal near the end of the first and Buffalo outshot the Wings 38 to 24, throwing puck after puck at Detroit goalie Alex Lyon. However, Lyon shut out the visitors the rest of the afternoon and the Sabres couldn’t capitalize on any further scoring chances, try as they might.
Acrididea had the Comment of the Game: “A couple of bad turnovers early resulting in goals. After that, BUF outplayed DET, but no finish.” The Red Wings took advantage of poor Buffalo defensive play in the opening period’s first half to take a big initial lead the Blue and Gold failed to match the remainder of the contest. The Sabres couldn’t finish scoring opportunities when they came and left the Motor City with no points instead of the two they had to have.
Final Thoughts
The Sabres went into this matchup clinging to very small postseason hopes and were only four points out of a playoff spot. Buffalo needed to win this one but Detroit came charging out of the gate showing more speed, effort and determination. Once the hosts got a solid three-goal lead, it was another case of playing from behind and hoping it worked. It didn’t and the main question now is who will coach and manage the team next season.
The Sabres travel to Dallas on Tuesday night to face the Stars at American Airlines Center. Puck drop is at 8:00 p.m. EDT.
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