Detroit, Mich. (WGR 550) - In desperate need of a regulation win, the Buffalo Sabres came up on the short end of a regulation loss to the fellow Wild Card-hopeful Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
The home side opened the scoring on their first shot of the game less than a minute in.
After some early opportunities for the Sabres following a forced turnover, forward Lucas Raymond came down and wired the opening goal past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen just 53 seconds in.
Detroit doubled its lead shortly after when Patrick Kane cut right through the defensive pairing of Henri Jokiharju and Bowen Byram to sneak home his 19th goal of the season.
The barrage continued moments later.
Jokiharju was sent to the penalty box for a cross-checking minor, and the Red Wings went to work with the power play. Detroit wasted no time making it a 3-0 game just 22 seconds into the man advantage with Dylan Larkin elevating a quick shot in front of Luukkonen.
The Sabres finally hit the brakes on the Red Wings' attack a little over 13 minutes into the contest. It was another special teams goal, this time favoring Buffalo when Tage Thompson's 29th goal of the year got the Sabres on the board at a much-needed time.
Thompson's goal ended up being the last scoring play of the afternoon. After the wild opening frame, both sides ended up playing in a stalemate for the next 40 minutes.
On top of the loss, the Sabres also have to monitor the status of two defensemen in the final four games of the season. Jacob Bryson did not return after the second intermission after taking a stick blade to the eye from teammate Tyson Jost. Then in the third period, Owen Power left the ice bleeding after an attempted bank shot from Detroit's David Perron went awry and clipped him in the face.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 13:16 - Tage Thompson (29) PPG (Zach Benson, Alex Tuch)
DET: 0:53 - Lucas Raymond (26) (Unassisted); 4:24 - Patrick Kane (19) (Jeff Petry); 7:37 - Dylan Larkin (31) PPG (Lucas Raymond, David Perron)
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
DET: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
DET: NONE
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Losi & Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Lucas Raymond - DET
2.) Dylan Larkin - DET
3.) Alex Lyon - DET
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What's next:
The Sabres head to Dallas, Texas to visit the Stars on Tuesday night for an 8 p.m. ET puck drop at American Airlines Center. Pregame coverage on WGR with Brian Koziol and Paul Hamilton starts at 7 p.m. ET.