The Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings locked horns in an early-week matchup in Buffalo. Both teams looked to end their six-game losing streaks. By night’s end, the Red Wings ended their skid in a 6-5 shootout win. With the win, the Red Wings moved to 11-13-4, and the Sabres fell to 11-13-4.
Game Recap
The first period saw some early action, with the Sabres cashing in on a shot from Dylan Cozens off a neutral zone rush that seemed to deflect off Red Wings defenseman Ben Chairot’s stick to beat Ville Husso to give the Sabres an early 1-0 lead. That lead was short-lived as the Red Wings answered back with two goals in 41 seconds, with Alex DeBrincat staying hot and adding his 12th of the season, beating James Reimer in front of the net. The second goal in the 41 seconds came off the stick of Andrew Copp, who ended his 16-game goal drought. Sabre Tage Thompson set himself up on a give-and-go play through the neutral zone with a quick shot to beat Husso and tie the game at 2-2 halfway through the period. The Sabres took a late-period lead on an innocent-looking shot from Jason Zucker that found its way to the back of the net after Husso was screened to take a 3-2 lead with four minutes left. The period ended in a Sabres 3-2 lead even though the Red Wings outshot them 8-7.
The second period saw Red Wings rookie netminder Sebastian Cossa make his NHL debut in relief of Husso. It did not take long for the Red Wings to tie the game again, with Lucas Raymond scoring his 11th of the season less than two minutes into the period. But the Sabres answered quickly, with Nicolas Aube-Kubel burying his first goal of the season to restore the Sabres lead at 4-3 less than five minutes in. Zucker found himself on the scoresheet again at the halfway mark of the period, beating the Red Wings’ defense to get in on Cossa to give the Sabres a two-goal lead at 5-3. A back-and-forth finish to the period saw the game stay at a 5-3 lead for the Sabres heading into the final 20 minutes.
The third period saw the Red Wings battle back with two goals in the last 10 minutes, with Copp scoring his second of the game before Moritz Seider tied things up at five a piece with just under five minutes left in the period. The game headed to a shootout after a scoreless overtime period. In the shootout, Dylan Larkin sealed the deal for the Red Wings and helped them finally end their skid.
In his first NHL win, Cossa made 12 saves on 14 shots, and Reimer made 26 saves on 31 shots in the loss. The Red Wings return to the ice on Thursday (Dec. 12) when they head to Philadelphia to play the Flyers. The Sabres hit the ice again on Wednesday (Dec. 11) as they look to end their skid against the New York Rangers.
