DETROIT RED WINGS NOTES:
LAST GAME
RED WINGS 5 at PITTSBURGH 4 OT (12/28/22)
1ST PERIOD: PIT O’Connor (Kapanen, Blueger) 2:36-EV; PIT Carter (Kapanen, Rust) 10:15-PP; PIT Zucker (unassisted) 14:15-EV;
PIT Zucker (Carter, Rust) 19:27-PP
2ND PERIOD: DET Larkin (Raymond, Hronek) 7:17-PP; DET Veleno (Chiarot, Söderblom) 14:32-EV
3RD PERIOD: DET Berggren (unassisted) 15:00-EV; DET Perron (Rasmussen, Raymond) 16:52-PP
OT: DET Walman (Copp) 2:13-EV
SHOTS: DET 46 (14-16-14-2) / PIT 31 (12-9-8-2)
GOALIES: DET Husso (ND, 8-12), Hellberg (W, 19-19) / PIT DeSmith (OTL, 41-46)
PP: DET 2-4 / PIT 2-2
MAN GAMES LOST (games missed / out since)
Robby Fabbri – lower body (33 / Oct. 10)
Jakub Vrána – personal (31 / Oct. 17)
Tyler Bertuzzi – upper body (24 / Nov. 30)
Filip Zadina – lower body (22 / Nov. 5)
Matt Luff – upper body (20 / Nov. 8)
Robert Hägg – undisclosed (7 / Dec. 8)
Total Man Games Lost: 175
Individual Man Games Lost: Elmer Söderblom (13), Gustav Lindström (11), Oskar Sundqvist (7), Olli Määttä (4), Michael Rasmussen (2), Dylan Larkin (1)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
12/28 – Assigned forward Jakub Vrána to Grand Rapids for conditioning
12/27 – Reassigned goaltender Sebastian Cossa from Grand Rapids to Toledo (ECHL)
12/23 – Signed forward Amadeus Lombardi to a three-year entry-level contract
TONIGHT’S GAME
RED WINGS at SABRES / 7:00 P.M. EST / KeyBank Center / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
TONIGHT: 152nd all-time meeting, 75th at Buffalo … Third of four games this season, second of two at Buffalo
ALL-TIME vs. BUF: 70-62-13-6 / AWAY: 26-38-8-2 / LAST 10: 5-4-1 / IN 2021-22: 4-0-0 / THIS SEASON: 0-1-1
DET top scorers vs. BUF: Dylan Larkin (13-9-22 in 26 GP), David Perron (9-12-21 in 21 GP), Andrew Copp (2-8-10 in 13 GP), Filip Hronek (1-8-9 in 12 GP), Lucas Raymond (2-4-6 in 6 GP), Dominik Kubalík (1-3-4 in 5 GP), Jordan Oesterle (2-2-4 in 6 GP), Moritz Seider (1-3-4 in 6 GP), Pius Suter (2-1-3 in 6 GP), Jonatan Berggren (1-0-1 in 1 GP), Jake Walman (1-0-1 in 2 GP)
BUF top scorers vs. DET: Jeff Skinner (9-8-17 in 29 GP), Kyle Okposo (7-8-15 in 30 GP), Rasmus Dahlin (3-10-13 in 13 GP), Tage Thompson (5-5-10 in 9 GP), Vinnie Hinostroza (2-5-7 in 13 GP), Casey Mittelstadt (2-3-5 in 8 GP), Dylan Cozens (4-0-4 in 6 GP), Alex Tuch (2-2-4 in 7 GP), Rasmus Asplund (1-2-3 in 5 GP), Jack Quinn (1-1-2 in 2 GP), J.J. Peterka (0-2-2 in 2 GP), Ilya Lyubushkin (0-2-2 in 4 GP), Mattias Samuelsson (1-0-1 in 2 GP), Casey Fitzgerald (0-1-1 in 2 GP), Peyton Krebs (0-1-1 in 2 GP), Owen Power (0-1-1 in 2 GP)
UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES EST)
Saturday, Dec. 31: RED WINGS vs. SENATORS / 7:00 p.m. / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Wednesday, Jan. 4: RED WINGS vs. DEVILS / 7:00 p.m. / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: TNT / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Friday, Jan. 6: RED WINGS vs. PANTHERS / 7:00 p.m. / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD EXTRA / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
LAST TIME OUT
Dec. 28 at Pittsburgh – 5-4 W
Detroit erased a four-goal deficit to earn a 5-4 overtime win at Pittsburgh … The victory improves the Red Wings to 15-11-7 overall and 7-5-4 on the road … The result also marked the fourth four-goal comeback win in franchise history, and the first time the Red Wings have earned a four-goal comeback victory on the road … Detroit previously recorded four-goal comeback wins on Dec. 4, 1984 vs. Toronto, Feb. 22, 1972 vs. Toronto and Nov. 3, 1960 vs. Boston … Additionally, Detroit became the second team this season to erase a four-goal deficit and win, joining Vancouver who did so on Dec. 5 vs. Montreal … Jake Walman scored the game-winning goal with 2:47 remaining in overtime … It marked Walman’s first overtime goal and game-winning goal of his NHL career … Walman and Filip Hronek are tied for the team lead with a plus-14 rating … Dylan Larkin scored on the power play for his team-leading 13th goal of the season … Larkin also tied Dominik Kubalík for the team lead with his fifth power play goal of the campaign … Larkin is currently on a three-game point streak (3-2-5 in 3 GP) … Larkin continues to pace the Red Wings in goals (13), points (32) and shots (108) through 32 games … Joe Veleno tallied his fifth goal of the season to extend his point streak to four-straight games (2-2-4 in 4 GP) … Jonatan Berggren cut the deficit to 4-3 with exactly five minutes remaining in the third period … Berggren has 11 points (5-6-11) in 20 games to begin his NHL career … David Perron tied the game at four apiece when he scored on the power play with 3:08 left in regulation … Perron extended his goal streak to three-straight games and point streak to four-consecutive games (3-3-6 in 4 GP) … Perron has 19 points (7-12-19) in his last 19 games since Nov. 12 at Los Angeles … In total, Perron ranks second among Detroit skaters in goals (12), points (27) and shots (91) through 33 games … Lucas Raymond was the only Detroit skater with multiple points, assisting on both power play goals … Raymond has five multi-point games this season … Raymond also has four points (1-3-4) in four games since Dec. 17 vs. Ottawa … Hronek recorded an assist on Larkin’s power play goal, tying Larkin for the team lead with his 19th assist of the season … Hronek also tied Kubalík for the team lead with his 12th power play point (3-9-12) of the season … Elmer Söderblom collected an assist on Veleno’s goal, giving him points in four-straight games (2-2-4 in 4 GP) since being recalled by Detroit on Dec. 14 … Michael Rasmussen logged an assist on Perron’s power play goal to extend his point streak to three-straight games (2-4-6 in 3 GP) … Andrew Copp had the lone assist on Walman’s overtime goal, giving him 12 points (2-10-12) in 17 games since Nov. 17 at San Jose … Copp (2-15-17) and Perron (9-8-17) are tied for second place among Detroit skaters with 17 even-strength points, tRailing only Larkin (7-14-21) … Magnus Hellberg earned the win after stopping all 19 shots he faced in 42:13 of relief … It marked Hellberg’s first victory in a Detroit uniform since April 29 at New Jersey … Hellberg is 1-1-0 with a 1.80 goals-against average and a 0.925 save percentage in two appearances with Detroit since being claimed off waivers from Seattle on Nov. 23 … Detroit won for the first time this season when trailing after 40 minutes … Detroit set a season high with 46 shots, surpassing its previous mark of 45 shots which was set on Nov. 30 vs. Buffalo … The Red Wings are a perfect 6-0-0 this season when scoring five-or-more goals … Detroit is 9-2-3 this season when outshooting its opponent, and 4-0-1 when doing so on the road … The Red Wings are 7-3-1 against the Metropolitan Division to begin the 2022-23 season … Detroit is 4-2-7 in one-goal games this season, and 19-3-17 since the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign … Detroit finished 2-for-4 on the power play, marking the sixth time the team has scored multiple power play goals in a game this season … The Red Wings are 5-1-0 when netting two-or-more power play goals.
BUFFALO SABRES:
LAST GAME
Monday, Dec. 19
Buffalo 3 at Vegas 2
Goals: Skinner, Thompson, Pilut
Goalie: Luukkonen (41 saves/43 shots)
PP: 0/1; PK: 3/3; Shots: Vegas 43 – Buffalo 18
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 88)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Eric Comrie (Lower body, Nov. 19; IR) – 15 games
Henri Jokiharju (Lower body, Dec. 10; IR) – 5 games
Jacob Bryson (Lower body, Dec. 15; IR) – 3 games
Owen Power (Lower body, Dec. 15) – 3 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST SEVEN DAYS
N/A
UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, Dec. 31: Buffalo at Boston, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 1: Buffalo at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 3: Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 7: Minnesota at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 9: Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
RED WINGS AT SABRES
• This is the third of four meetings between the Sabres and the Red Wings this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Detroit 5-4 in a shootout in Detroit on Nov. 30, 2022.
• Next meeting: Thursday, April 6, 2023 in Detroit.
• The Sabres are 5-1-4 in their last 10 games against the Red Wings; 5-1-4 at home.
• This is the 152nd game all-time between Buffalo and Detroit; Buffalo has a 68-60-23 series record.
• The Sabres are 40-20-14 at home against the Red Wings all-time.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• With a win tonight, Buffalo would have its first five-game winning streak since the team won 10 straight contests from Nov. 8 to 27, 2018.
• During the four-game winning streak, Sabres goaltenders have allowed just six goals and recorded a .961 save percentage.
• Tage Thompson has recorded 47 points (25+22) in his last 25 games.
• A goal in tonight’s game would give Thompson a five-game goal streak and would mark the first time since 1998-99 (Miroslav Satan, 8 games, Dec. 19 to Jan. 2; 6 games, Feb. 11 to 21) that the Sabres have had two or more instances of players recording a goal streak of five or more games in a single season.
• Only 22 Sabres have ever recorded a goal streak of five or more games in franchise history
• Dylan Cozens has tallied 23 points (7+16) in his last 19 games, including 15 (5+10) in his last 10.
• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 20 points (3+17) in his last 17 games.
• In his last 11 games, Jeff Skinner owns 22 points (11+11).
• Alex Tuch has notched 24 points (8+16) in his last 17 games and is riding a four-game point streak.
• A point in tonight’s game would give Tuch a point streak of five or more games for the fifth time in his career.
WINGMEN
• Buffalo has earned a point in each of its last seven home games against Detroit, the team’s longest home point streak against the Red Wings since Jan. 7, 1979 to March 22, 1987 (10-0-4).
• Tage Thompson owns eight points (3+5) in his last three games against the Red Wings.
• Rasmus Dahlin is riding a three-game point streak against the Red Wings and has recorded 5 points (1+4) in that span.
• Dahlin has recorded at least one point in 10 of his 13 career games against Detroit.
• A goal in tonight’s game would give Dylan Cozens a three-game goal streak against the Red Wings.
• Jeff Skinner has recorded eight points (4+4) in his last 6 games against Detroit, six (2+4) of which came in three home games.
• JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn have both recorded a point in each of their two career games against the Red Wings.
LINE OF SUCCESSION
• Jeff Skinner (10 multi-point games), Tage Thompson (13 multi-point games) and Alex Tuch (eight multi-point games) have all recorded multiple points in at least eight games in 2022-23.
• In 2022-23, there have been three games (Nov. 22 at MTL, Dec. 7 at CBJ, Dec. 17 at ARI) in which Skinner, Thompson, and Tuch have all notched three or more points.
• There have been 25 instances of a Sabres skater tallying three or more points in a single game in 2022-23 and 16 of the 25 were recorded by Skinner, Thompson or Tuch.
• According to Natural Stat Trick, the line of Skinner, Thompson and Tuch owns a corsi for percentage of 55.47 and an expected goals for percentage of 50.96 at 5-on-5 this season.
• When on the ice together, Skinner, Thompson and Tuch have recorded 20 goals and allowed 9 goals at 5-on-5.
• The trio has recorded a combined 57 goals on the season, 45.24 percent of the 126 goals scored by Buffalo skaters in 2022-23.
• Skinner (two times), Thompson (three times) and Tuch (one time) are the only Sabres skaters who have recorded four or more points in a single game in 2022-23.
• Skinner (36 points, 16+20), Thompson (50 points, 26+24) and Tuch (35 points, 15+20) all rank in the top three in points among Sabres forwards.
• Among all NHL skaters with at least 10 games played, Skinner (3.68) and Thompson (3.67) rank second and third, respectively, in points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.
THE TAGE IS SET
• Tage Thompson is one of four NHL skaters with multiple games of three or more goals and is the only player to record four or more goals in a single game (5, Dec. 7 at CBJ) in 2022-23.
• Thompson is the only NHL skater who has recorded six or more points in a single game in 2022-23, having done so on Oct. 31 vs. Detroit (3+3) and Dec. 7 at Columbus (5+1).
• Thompson is the second skater in Sabres history to record multiple six-point games in a single season (Pat LaFontaine, 1991-92). He is the only Sabres skater to accomplish the feat within the team’s first 26 games of a season.
• Thompson is one of nine skaters in NHL history who have recorded multiple games of three or more goals and six or more points in a single season.
• Entering play Wednesday, Thompson led all NHL skaters in first-period goals (12).
• Thompson is the third-fastest Sabres skater to reach 25 goals in a single season (31 games).
• Only Pat LaFontaine (26 games, 1992-92) and Alexander Mogilny (28 games, 1992-93) reached 25 goals in fewer games.
• This season, Thompson tied the mark for the third-most goals scored (24) by a Sabres skater in their first 30 games of a season.
• Alexander Mogilny (30 in 1992-93), Pat LaFontaine (29 in 1991-92) and Thomas Vanek (24 in 2008-09) are the only Sabres skaters who have scored as many or more goals than Thompson in their first 30 games of a season with the Sabres.
• Thompson leads all Sabres skaters in goals (26), points (50), even-strength goals (13), even-strength points (27), points per game (1.56), shots (146), power-play goals (12) and power-play points (22).
• Thompson recorded more power-play goals in the first 29 games of 2022-23 (11) than he did in 78 games in 2021-22 (10).
• Thompson ranks first among all Sabres forwards in time on ice per game (18:54).
• Entering play on Wednesday, Thompson ranked seventh among all NHL skaters with 146 shots on goal and had played at least two fewer games than each of the six skaters with more shots.
• Thompson owned the highest shooting percentage (17.8) among skaters with as many or more shots than him in 2022-23.
THE HISTORY CHANNEL
• Five Sabres skaters (Rasmus Dahlin, Jeff Skinner, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch) are currently scoring at a point per game pace or better through the team’s first 32 games.
• The 1992-93 Sabres were the last team in franchise history to finish a season with at least four skaters at a point per game pace or better (Pat LaFontaine, 1.76; Alexander Mogilny, 1.65; Dale Hawerchuk, 1.19; Dave Andreychuk, 1.17).
• The Sabres have converted on 29.8 percent of their power-play opportunities through their first 32 games of 2022-23.
• The current franchise record for power-play percentage in a single season is 24.5 percent, set in 2016-17.
• Buffalo currently owns a 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage of 51.7 percent, the highest mark by a Sabres team in a single season since the league began tracking the stat in 2009-10.
• Buffalo’s 3.94 goals scored per game is the highest by a Sabres team since the 1992-93 Sabres recorded 3.99 goals per game.
C(RAS)H TEST
• Buffalo is 10-1-0 in games in which Rasmus Dahlin records multiple points in 2022-23.
• Dahlin is on pace for 97 points this season, which would shatter Phil Housley’s single-season franchise points record by a Sabres defenseman (81).
• Among NHL defensemen, Dahlin ranked second in points per game (1.19), tied for second in goals (10), third in points (37), first in power-play points (20), tied for second in power-play goals (4), and third in time on ice per game (26:11).
• Dahlin has recorded at least one point in 24 of his 31 games played in 2022-23.
• Dahlin (811:49) is the only Sabres skater who has logged more than 800 minutes of ice time through the team’s first 32 games.
• Entering play on Wednesday, Dahlin was the only NHL skater with 800 or more minutes of total ice time in 31 or fewer games played.
THE KIDS TABLE
• According to Natural Stat Trick, the line combination consisting of Dylan Cozens, JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn has produced 42 high-danger scoring chances and 94 scoring chances in 154:43 of ice time at 5-on-5 when playing together in 2022-23.
• Cozens (21), Peterka (20) and Quinn (21) are all 21 years of age or younger and entering play on Wednesday, Cozens and Quinn were two of the eight NHL skaters aged 21 or younger who had recorded a point streak of five or more games in 2022-23.
• Quinn was one of two rookies who had recorded a point streak of six or more games this season.
• Quinn’s six-game point streak (Nov. 28 to Dec. 9, 2022) was the 34th point streak of six or more games by a Sabres skater aged 21 or younger and the first since Rasmus Dahlin recorded a six-game point streak from Feb. 9 to 22, 2020.
• According to Natural Stat Trick, the line’s expected goals for percentage is 59.60 and their corsi for percentage is 51.38 at 5-on5.
• Entering play on Wednesday, Cozens (31 points) was one of two NHL skaters aged 21 or younger to record 30 or more points in 2022-23.
• Cozens (Dec. 1 to 7, 2022) became one of 19 NHL skaters aged 21 or younger, and the first since Erik Karlsson (Jan. 20 to Feb. 25, 2012), to record three or more points in three consecutive games at least one time.
• Cozens has recorded three or more points on four occasions this season.
