* Alex DeBrincat joined rare Red Wings company with his 10th three-point game of the season and Moritz Seider tallied a pair of assists in his 400th career contest as Detroit defeated Buffalo to move within a point of the “playoff line” in the East.
* The third-last Saturday of the regular season features 15 games, including a showdown between the Flyers and Red Wings on ABC as well as four contests on Hockey Night in Canada.
* The final of four “Hockey Day” celebrations in Europe this season takes center stage in Finland as Matthew Schaefer and the Islanders welcome Anton Lundell and the Panthers.
RED WINGS DOWN SABRES, INCH CLOSER TO “PLAYOFF LINE”
Alex DeBrincat posted 1-2—3 while Moritz Seider tallied 0-2—2 in his 400th career game as the Red Wings handed the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres just their second regulation loss since returning from the Olympic break. Detroit (39-25-8, 86 points) moved within one point of the idle Islanders (41-27-5, 87 points) for the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference.
* DeBrincat notched his 10th three-point game of 2025-26 and became the third Red Wings skater in the past 30 years with as many in a season, following Pavel Datsyuk (12 in 2007-08) and Sergei Fedorov (10 in 2002-03).
* Seider recorded his 48th career multi-point game and tied Marcel Pronovost for the eighth most by a Red Wings defenseman – a list topped by Nicklas Lidstrom (264). Seider hit the 50-point mark for the second time in his career (also 50 in 2021-22) and became the third blueliner in franchise history to record multiple 50-point season before age 25, joining Reed Larson (4x) and Lidstrom (2x).
GARAND EARNS FIRST WIN FOR RANGERS IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Dylan Garand stopped 27 of 28 shots to earn his first career win and extend his career-opening point streak to two games (1-0-1). Find more notes on Friday’s games in the latest edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
QUICK CLICKS
* ‘Legend’ Patrice Bergeron gives pointers to Bruins’ young forwards
* PWHL players bond with women’s hockey pioneers at Detroit clinic
* Unmasked: ‘.900 is the new .915 or .920’ when it comes to save percentage
* NHL EDGE stats: Ilya Sorokin building strong case for Vezina Trophy
* NCAA Tournament players to watch include Gavin McKenna, Jake Livanavage
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS TAKE CENTER STAGE ON 15-GAME SATURDAY
The third-last Saturday of the regular season features national broadcasts laden with playoff implications. The Red Wings (39-25-8, 86 points) and Flyers (35-24-12, 82 points), both in the midst of the Eastern Conference’s tightly contested Wild Card race, battle for two points on ABC Hockey Saturday. North of the border, a four-game Hockey Night in Canada is highlighted by the Atlantic Division’s third-place Canadiens (40-21-10, 90 points) clashing with the Predators (34-29-9, 77 points), who hold Wild Card 2 in the West, while the Jets (30-30-12, 72 points) continue to chase that final position when they battle the League-leading Avalanche (48-13-10, 106 points).
* Philadelphia and Detroit are among four teams within six points of the final Wild Card position in the East. The Flyers, who are looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2019-20, find themselves in the mix thanks, in part, to their recent success as a visitor. They enter Saturday with wins in each of their past seven road games and can tie the franchise record for the longest such streak when they visit Little Caesar’s Arena.
* Steven Stamkos and the Predators, who have earned at least a point in seven of their past 10 games (6-3-1), aim to strengthen their grip over the final Wild Card spot in the West when they host the Canadiens. Stamkos has scored in each of his past four contests and will look to extend that goal streak to five games for the 13th time in his career, which would tie Mike Gartner for the fourth most in NHL history behind Mario Lemieux (17), Alex Ovechkin (16) and Wayne Gretzky (16).
* The Jets will look to continue their recent climb up the standings against the Avalanche – they trailed the playoff line by 11 points at the Olympic break (8-4-4 since Feb. 25) and are engaged in a Western Conference Wild Card race that has five teams within six points of the final position. Mark Scheifele has recorded 7-13—20 (16 GP) over that span and enters Saturday two points back of 90 on the season (34-54—88 in 72 GP) – he can become the third-fastest player in Jets/Thrashers history to reach the mark, following Ilya Kovalchuk (70 GP in 2005-06) and Marian Hossa (71 GP in 2006-07).
* Scheifele’s path to the NHL came via playing a number of different sports and waiting to specialize until he was 16. Scheifele was not only able to meet different friends from playing other sports, but says the variety gave him extra skills in hockey.
FINAL “HOCKEY DAY” OF SEASON TAKES CENTER STAGE IN FINLAND
The final of four “Hockey Day” celebrations in Europe this season features the Islanders (41-27-5, 87 points) hosting the Panthers (35-33-3, 73 points) to cap off the two-day event. New York holds the final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference and will look to jump into second place in the Metropolitan Division on Saturday.
* Matthew Schaefer, who leads all rookies in goals and is tied for the second-most points (22-32—54 in 73 GP), has played a big role in the Islanders’ playoff pursuit this season. With a goal on Saturday, Schaefer can surpass Barry Beck (22 in 1977-78) and tie Brian Leetch (23 in 1988-89) for the most in a season by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
* Anton Lundell, who was born in Espoo, Finland, has 18-26—44 (64 GP) this season – one goal and two points shy of setting career highs in both categories. He is one of four Finnish players that were part of Florida’s roster during its Stanley Cup win in both 2024 and 2025 (Aleksander Barkov, Eetu Luostarinen & Nikko Mikkola) – the highest number ever for any Cup winner.
