Detroit Red Wings Defeat Buffalo Sabres 5-2

On March 27, 2026, the Detroit Red Wings secured a decisive 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The win marked a significant turnaround for the Red Wings, who had recently suffered a two-game losing streak. Alex DeBrincat ignited the scoring with a power-play goal just 4:02 into the first period, leading to a three-goal opening frame for Detroit.

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Detroit's early dominance was evident as Marco Kasper extended the lead to 3-0 by the 16:06 mark of the first period. After a series of attempts by Emmitt Finnie, Kasper capitalized on a rebound, executing a quick wrist shot. The Red Wings' first two goals were also scored during power plays, with DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond finding the net.

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Buffalo's Tage Thompson managed to reduce the deficit to 3-1 early in the second period, marking his 400th career point with a well-placed one-timer. However, Jacob Bernard-Docker restored the three-goal lead for Detroit at 4-1 in the third period. Rasmus Dahlin responded for Buffalo shortly after, scoring to make it 4-2, but Patrick Kane sealed the game with an empty-net goal, finalizing the score at 5-2.

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Detroit's John Gibson was instrumental in the victory, stopping 28 shots, while Buffalo's Alex Lyon made 15 saves. Despite outshooting the Red Wings 12-3 in the second period, the Sabres struggled to recover from their early deficit.

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Buffalo's defense was criticized for its lack of discipline and energy, with Dahlin stating, “They came out really good and scored three early, and it's hard to come back from that. We need better first periods.”

Red Wings score 3 in 1st, defeat Sabres to gain in Eastern wild-card race

Detroit coach Todd McLellan acknowledged the unpredictability of the game, emphasizing the importance of starting strong. He stated, “There’s always variables that come into play. We’ll control as many of them as we can and we’ll try and get off to a good start again.”

Red Wings score 3 in 1st, defeat Sabres to gain in Eastern wild-card race

In addition to Thompson's milestone, DeBrincat extended his point streak to eight games, accumulating 14 points during this stretch. Moritz Seider reached a career milestone with his 50th point of the season, becoming one of only three defensemen in Red Wings history to achieve multiple seasons with at least 50 points before the age of 25.

Red Wings score 3 in 1st, defeat Sabres to gain in Eastern wild-card race

Following this game, the Red Wings are set to host the Philadelphia Flyers, while the Sabres will face the Seattle Kraken. Both teams will look to improve their standings in the Eastern Conference as the season progresses.

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