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National Hockey League
Detroit 5, Buffalo 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 28, 2019
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Francois St. Laurent, Justin St. Pierre
Linesmen: Bevan Mills, Libor Suchanek
Attendance: 16236

Tyler Bertuzzi scored his second goal of the game 2:18 into overtime as the Detroit Red Wings concluded a stellar five-game trip with their third straight win, defeating the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Thursday night.

Bertuzzi's winner capped a 4-1-0 trip for the Red Wings, who have won five of their last six overall despite being eliminated from playoff contention.

Buffalo suffered its fifth straight loss while mired in a 3-15-3 stretch. However, the Sabres gave a far more spirited effort than Tuesday's 4-0 loss at lowly Ottawa.

With the score tied 2-2 in the third, Dylan Larkin scored twice to give Detroit a 4-2 lead with 6:56 to play. However, Casey Mittelstadt's 12th goal of the season with 4:59 to go in regulation brought the Sabres within one. Then, Jack Eichel's 100th career tally 41 seconds later on what became a one-on-one situation with Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35 saves) tied the score again and ultimately forced overtime.

The Red Wings scored the game's first goal with 7:58 left in the first. On the power play, Bertuzzi, who later had an assist, directed in a perfect slot pass from Anthony Mantha (three assists) past Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark (29 saves). Detroit made it 2-0 one minute into the second, when defenseman Filip Hronek one-timed another pinpoint Mantha pass by a helpless Ullmark.

Kyle Okposo brought the Sabres within a goal with two seconds left on a power play at 6:12 into the second. Okposo's 12th of the season came off a quick release that beat Howard to the short side.

The Sabres kept the pressure coming and were again rewarded. Marco Scandella converted a quick wrister by Howard's short side with 2:44 remaining in the second to make it 2-2 entering what would be a wild third period.

With those two goals, Larkin reached 30 for the first time in his four-year career.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Buffalo
Tyler Bertuzzi 3 Points Casey Mittelstadt 2
Tyler Bertuzzi 2 Goals Casey Mittelstadt 1
Anthony Mantha 3 Assists Casey Mittelstadt 1
Tyler Bertuzzi 1 Power Play Goals Kyle Okposo 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jimmy Howard .897 Save Percentage Linus Ullmark .853
Jimmy Howard 35 Saves Linus Ullmark 29
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 34 5 1-3 2-3 6 44
Buffalo 39 4 1-3 2-3 6 26
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against NY Islanders. The Sabres have a W/L % of .406 after a win and .400 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .483 after a win and .312 after a loss.