RECAP: Red Wings see lead slip away against Sabres, pick up point in 5-4 overtime loss

DETROIT – Squandering a three-goal, second-period lead in an eventual 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena certainly wasn’t how the Detroit Red Wings wanted to finish their four-game homestand, and head coach Todd McLellan stressed the need for better game management when discussing what went wrong for his club on Saturday night.

“I’ll take you all the way back to Traverse City -- on the first day [of Training Camp] we talked about game management and learning how to play certain situations,” McLellan said. “Clearly, we haven’t learned that yet. I don’t know if you could write a script like that. We’re short-handed, trying to score and creating turnovers... Until this group figures out what’s important at certain times of the game, we’re going to have those nights. Simple as that."

Netminder John Gibson made 22 saves for Detroit (10-7-1; 21 points), which suffered its first overtime setback of the season. Meanwhile, Buffalo (6-8-4; 16 points) earned its first road win of the campaign and snapped a five-game winless streak behind 24 saves from goalie Colten Ellis.

“For us, we need to learn how to be able to deal [with having a lead] and close games out,” said Lucas Raymond, who matched an NHL career-high with three assists for his second straight multi-point game and sixth multi-point outing of the campaign.

Inching closer to his 500th career goal, Patrick Kane got the scoring started against his hometown NHL club at 10:23 of the first period. Ben Chiarot found himself with the puck on his stick in the high slot after a turnover by the Sabres, then the 34-year-old defenseman sent a backdoor pass to the 36-year-old forward at the left doorstep for a one-timer to give the Red Wings a 1-0 advantage.

With his 85th career game-opening goal, which tied Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers for the fourth-most among active players, Kane notched his third of the season.

It took the Sabres just 19 seconds to tie the game, as Alex Tuch whacked home a loose puck in front of the crease for the 1-1 score.

But before the 10-minute mark of the second period, Detroit scored three goals – two courtesy of Alex DeBrincat and one via captain Dylan Larkin – in a span of 4:58 to build a 3-1 lead.

A diving, one-handed feed by Raymond from the middle of the right face-off circle set up DeBrincat for the Red Wings’ first goal of the middle frame at 3:52. Larkin collected his team-leading 11th of the season just 2:04 later, finishing a give-and-go with Raymond while the action was at 4-on-4. Moritz Seider recorded the secondary assist on Larkin’s tally that pushed it to 3-1, which also was the 29-year-old captain’s second in as many contests.

A centering pass from DeBrincat then went off the stick of Mattias Samuelsson and into the back of the net for a power-play strike, giving the Red Wings their largest lead of the night 4-1 at 8:50. Raymond and Seider assisted on DeBrincat’s eighth goal of the season.

“The power play, early, I thought was direct and effective,” McLellan said. “I thought it created chaos for the other team off shots, and all of sudden things open up for us.”

Raymond also recorded Detroit’s first three-helper period since DeBrincat achieved the feat on Dec. 22, 2023.

The Sabres were able to climb back into the game, sparked by Josh Doan’s goal at 17:58 of the second period. He redirected captain Rasmus Dahlin’s shot from the point to cut Buffalo’s deficit to 4-2.

Bringing the Sabres back within one, Tage Thompson carried the puck down the ice and tucked it home to make it 4-3 at 4:25 of the final frame. And 5:03 later, Ryan McLeod’s short-handed tally tied it 4-4.

“Obviously, a great second period to put ourselves in the position that we were in,” Kane said. “That’s what can happen in this game. You give up a goal, it’s 4-2 and a two-goal game. Then all of a sudden, they get some life.”

Although Buffalo got called for too many men on the ice with 2:33 remaining in regulation, Detroit couldn’t cash in on the late-game power play. The Atlantic Division clash went to overtime, and Mattias Samuelsson’s goal from the high slot 1:03 in prevented the Red Wings from picking up both possible points.

“Not good enough by our standards,” Raymond said about Saturday's game. “Not anywhere near it.”

NEXT UP: Detroit will try to bounce back in the second half of its weekend back-to-back set when it faces the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

WHAT WAS SAID

McLellan on Gibson’s night

“I thought Gibby was very good -- didn’t have to do much for half the game, maybe until the four-minute mark remaining in the second period. Then he really had to be good. We made some game-management mistakes and it could have gotten to the point where we weren’t even able to get a point, but he played well.”

Kane of if he felt Detroit might have played a little loose after going ahead by multiple goals

“I might have to see things over again. I’m not really sure, but that should be a fun time to play hockey, you know? You lock it down. They’re an offensive team with defensemen that can jump in. You do your job defensively, and you’re going to end up getting odd-man rushes the other way. Maybe we had a couple of those, but didn’t make the most of them.”

Raymond on where or why he believes the Red Wings have struggled closing out games

“I don’t know. For us, we got to keep playing our game. We got to keep playing on our toes but under control…Tonight was self-inflicted for sure, and we gave up chances that you’re not supposed to do in the third period with a two-goal lead.”