Detroit, Mich. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres imploded in many aspects on Wednesday night, most notably on the penalty kill.
Visiting the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena, the Sabres allowed seven goals - three to the Red Wings' power play units - and lost their cool at the end of the lopsided 7-3 affair.
Tage Thompson opened the scoring in this contest, as the Sabres forward fired in his 17th first-period goal of the season and 34th goal overall of the year.
Detroit turned the tide by period's end, though.
In succession, the trio of forwards Marco Kasper, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane potted three unanswered goals to make it a 3-1 contest late in the frame.
Kane's tally, a late power play goal, looked like it would be a back-breaker heading into the first intermission.
Josh Norris had other ideas, though, as the newcomer to the Sabres lineup scored his first goal in a Buffalo sweater to pull the team back to within one, 3-2, with 36 seconds to go in the period.
Near the midway point of the second period, the Red Wings added to their advantage.
Veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko skated out from behind the net towards the right circle, and picked his spot past a screen and the blocker of Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff challenged the play for goaltender interference on Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, but was unsuccessful. That put Buffalo behind 4-2 on the scoreboard, and shorthanded to two minutes for delay of game. Fortunately, the team was able to kill off the Detroit power play.
With just under two minutes left in the stanza, the Sabres did damage on a power play of their own.
With DeBrincat in the box serving a high-sticking double-minor, Zach Benson slammed home a juicy rebound to, again, pull the Sabres to within a goal.
At the start of the third period, the Red Wings, again, were able to keep the Sabres at arm's length.
Kane put up another power play goal, at the tail end of, what was, a 5-on-3 Detroit advantage. Buffalo killed off the first of its two penalties, but Kane struck pay-dirt with moments left on the second minor infraction, bleeding over from end of the second period.
The Red Wings took the first three-goal lead of the game 5:39 into the third period. Kasper struck for his second goal of the night, with help from DeBrincat and Kane.
DeBrincat's assist was his fourth point of the night, while Kane registered his fifth point with the secondary helper, as Detroit pushed the lead to 6-3 over Buffalo.
The Red Wings kept pouring it on in the late stages. Defenseman Moritz Seider wired a shot for Detroit's third power play goal of the game, and made it 7-3, Red Wings, in the process.
That score held as the final, but not before both teams lost the plot and scrapped all over the ice near the end of regulation.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 7:38 - Tage Thompson (34) (Bowen Byram); 19:24 - Josh Norris (21) (Zach Benson, Tage Thompson)
DET: 12:36 - Marco Kasper (11) (Simon Edvinsson, Patrick Kane); 15:40 - Alex DeBrincat (30) (Patrick Kane, Marco Kasper); 19:07 - Patrick Kane (16) PPG (Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin)
Second Period:
BUF: 18:12 - Zach Benson (10) PPG (Owen Power, Ryan McLeod)
DET: 10:54 - Vladimir Tarasenko (9) (Dylan Larkin)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
DET: 1:36 - Patrick Kane (17) PPG (Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond); 5:39 - Marco Kasper (12) (Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane); 14:31 - Moritz Seider (7) PPG (Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond)
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Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Patrick Kane - DET
2.) Alex DeBrincat - DET
3.) Marco Kasper - DET
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What's next:
The Sabres return to Buffalo to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon at KeyBank Center. Puck drop is set for 12:30 p.m. with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.