Red Wings hold on after hot start for critical win over Sabres

The Detroit Red Wings did what they needed to do Sunday, and defeated an opponent chasing them in the standings.

Their 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena, before a nationally televised audience, added two much-needed points to a playoff chase that’s incredibly tight. The Wings (38-31-8, 84 points) are among a handful of teams battling for the last wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference — and now have just five games left to get there.

“We came out with a lot of pace, a lot of intensity,” Lucas Raymond said. “Guys stepped up, so the way we started today, if we can get starts like that, we’ll be in a good spot.”

They helped themselves in the matinee performance with an energetic start that led to a quick lead that kept growing. Raymond scored in the opening minute, and before the first period was even at the halfway point, Patrick Kane and Dylan Larkin also had scored. Alex Lyon made 37 saves, coming up huge the last two periods as the Sabres tried hard to stage a rally, including pulling their goalie with about 3 minutes to play.

“When you get a good start like that, you want to reward the guys,” Lyon said. “It gives you confidence, too. Got to give a lot of credit to the guys. I thought we did a good job locking it down. They had some opportunities, but for the most part, we did a good job of getting it deep and making them go 200 feet and that’s what you want to do when you have the lead.”

Led by Moritz Seider’s 10 blocked shots, the Wings had a 27-9 edge in that category.

Coach Derek Lalonde described the Sabres as, “tough to play against because they’re very aggressive offensively. So to hold them zero goals 5-on-5 is a huge positive and Alex was a big part of that.”

Setting a tone

The Wings delivered a rousing start, demonstrating the situation they are in. Raymond scored on the opening shift, intercepting the puck in the neutral zone and backing down three defenders as he raced in on Ukko-Pekka

Luukkonen. Kane followed up at 4:24, splitting a pair of defenders to power to the net and sliding a forehand shot behind Luukkonen’s outstretched right leg. Kane then drew a crosschecking penalty on Henri Jokiharju to give the Wings a man advantage, and it took just 22 seconds to convert, with Larkin finishing a setup by Raymond and David Perron.

Pushback

As if cheering three goals wasn’t enough for fans, the first period also featured two fights. Joe Veleno took exception to being knocked down by Bowen Byram and dropped the gloves near the midpoint, with the two exchanging multiple punches before officials separated them. While both were still in their respective boxes, the Wings ended up shorthanded when Christian Fischer sent the puck over the glass.

They dealt with that, but a tripping call on Austin Czarnik gave the Sabres the momentum needed for Tage Thompson to make it 3-1. Before the period ended, Jeff Petry and Dylan Cozens got into it over Cozens holding onto Petry’s stick; they dropped the gloves, but Petry didn’t land any punches and Cozens only a couple of jabs.

Lyon not rattled

The Sabres came out on their toes in the second period, to be expected given they were trailing. Lyon held down his end, denying Alex Tuch on an early chance and Jeff Skinner a couple minutes later. Thompson tried for another goal shortly after the midpoint, striding up the middle straight for the net only to be thwarted on an up-close wrist shot that saw Lyon lose his glove. Lyon made 11 saves in the second period to keep the Wings ahead by two goals.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com . Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames .

Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter . Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon , Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.