BUFFALO, N.Y. — In a thrilling matchup at KeyBank Center on Saturday, Tage Thompson made a significant impact for the Buffalo Sabres by scoring two goals and assisting on another, leading his team to a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
Lucas Raymond stood out for Detroit, scoring his inaugural short-handed goal and contributing an assist, despite the loss.
Rasmus Dahlin also played a crucial role for the Sabres, notching three assists. This win marked Buffalo’s third consecutive victory, a first for the team this season. Remarkably, the Sabres didn’t manage to achieve a three-game winning streak last season until late February.
With his performance, Dahlin celebrated his 40th career multi-point game, elevating him to second place in franchise history for defensemen, surpassing Doug Bodger. The only player ahead of him is Phil Housley, who has 77 multi-point games.
In terms of individual performances, Thompson extended his point streak to six games, contributing to the Sabres’ record of 4-1-1 during that span. Meanwhile, Raymond’s two-point night marked the 45th multi-point game of his career, allowing him to surpass Gabriel Landeskog as the fifth-highest among Swedish players under the age of 23.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Bowen Byram fired a shot that slipped past Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon, deflecting off the glove and then hitting defenseman Jeff Petry before finding the net. This goal gave Buffalo a crucial 4-3 lead with just 4:06 remaining in the second period. Late in the game, Jack Quinn sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, marking his first goal of the season with just 48 seconds left on the clock.
In a noteworthy statistic, the Sabres entered the game with a 0-for-22 record on power plays, the worst in the NHL. However, they finally broke their power-play drought when Jason Zucker scored just over four minutes into the first period.
Looking ahead, the Sabres will continue their four-game homestand against the Florida Panthers on Monday night, while the Red Wings are set to kick off a three-game homestand on Sunday with a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.