DETROIT RED WINGS NOTES:
LAST GAME
RED WINGS 2 vs. MINNESOTA 1 (10/29/22)
1ST PERIOD: MIN Kaprizov (Zuccarello, Gaudreau) 1:28-EV; DET Raymond (Erne, Larkin) 16:51-EV
2ND PERIOD: DET Raymond (Kubalík, Erne) 19:55-PP
3RD PERIOD: No scoring
SHOTS: DET 25 (15-9-1) / MIN 31 (14-7-10)
GOALIES: DET Husso (W, 30-31) / MIN Gustavsson (L, 23-25)
PP: DET 1-2 / MIN 0-1
MAN GAMES LOST (games missed / out since)
Robby Fabbri – lower body (8 / Oct. 10)
Tyler Bertuzzi – upper body (6 / Oct. 15)
Jakub Vrána – personal (6 / Oct. 17)
Oskar Sundqvist – upper body (2 / Oct. 27)
Michael Rasmussen – suspension (1 / Oct. 29)
Total Man Games Lost: 23
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
10/29 – Recalled forward Givani Smith from Grand Rapids.
10/27 – Recalled forward Matt Luff from Grand Rapids.
10/25 – Reassigned goaltender Sebastian Cossa to Grand Rapids from Toledo (ECHL).
TONIGHT’S GAME
RED WINGS at SABRES / 7:00 P.M. EDT / KeyBank Center / TV: BSD EXTRA / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
TONIGHT: 150th all-time meeting, 74th at Buffalo … First of four games this season, first of two at Buffalo ALL-TIME vs. BUF: 70-61-13-5 / AWAY: 26-37-8-2 / LAST 10: 6-4-0 / IN 2021-22: 4-0-0 / THIS SEASON: 0-0-0 DET top scorers vs. BUF: Dylan Larkin (12-8-20 in 24 GP), David Perron (7-12-19 in 19 GP), Andrew Copp (2-5-7 in 11 GP), Lucas Raymond (2-4-6 in 4 GP), Filip Hronek (1-5-6 in 10 GP), Dominik Kubalík (1-3-4 in 3 GP), Pius Suter (2-1-3 in 4 GP), Moritz Seider (1-2-3 in 4 GP), Jordan Oesterle (2-1-3 in 5 GP), Matt Luff (1-0-1 in 2 GP) BUF top scorers vs. DET: Rasmus Dahlin (2-7-9 in 11 GP), Vinnie Hinostroza (2-5-7 in 12 GP), Casey Mittelstadt (2-2-4 in 6 GP), Alex Tuch (2-1-3 in 5 GP), Rasmus Asplund (0-2-2 in 4 GP), Ilya Lyubushkin (0-2-2 in 4 GP)
UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, Nov. 3: RED WINGS vs. CAPITALS / 7:00 p.m. EDT / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Saturday, Nov. 5: RED WINGS vs. ISLANDERS / 1:00 p.m. EDT / LITTLE CAESARS ARENA / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
Sunday, Nov. 6: RED WINGS at RANGERS / 5:00 p.m. EST / Madison Square Garden / TV: BSD / RADIO: WXYT 97.1 FM
LAST TIME OUT
Oct. 29 vs. Minnesota – 2-1 W
Detroit earned a 2-1 victory over Minnesota to improve to 4-2-2 overall and 3-1-1 inside Little Caesars Arena … The result marked Detroit’s first one-goal win of the 2022-23 campaign after going 15-1-10 in one-goal games during the 2021-22 season … Lucas Raymond tallied both of Detroit’s goals, which marked his first two of the season … In all, Raymond has five goals in three career head-to-head meetings against Minnesota … Raymond joined David Perron (two goals on Oct. 17 vs. Los Angeles) as the only Red Wings skater to score twice in a contest this season … Raymond had four multi-goal games in 2021-22, tied with Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin and Jakub Vrána for the most on Detroit … Raymond also set a career high with seven shots on goal, which is also the most by any Red Wings skater in a single game this season … Larkin tallied an assist on both goals, giving him 10 points (4-6-10) in eight games to begin the 2022-23 season … With two assists, Larkin boosted his career totals to 368 points (151-217-368 in 512 GP), surpassing Marcel Dionne (139-227-366 in 309 GP) for sole possession of 23rd on the franchise’s all-time points list … Adam Erne notched the primary assist on Raymond’s first goal to extend his point streak to four-straight games (1-3-4 in 4 GP) … Erne has five points (2-3-5) in his last six games since Oct. 17 vs. Los Angeles … Dominik Kubalík recorded the primary assist on Raymond’s power play goal … Kubalík continues to pace the Red Wings in assists (7) and points (11) through eight games … Givani Smith made his season debut for the Red Wings, logging three shots and three hits in 9:18 time on ice … Jordan Oesterle also made his season debut with Detroit, registering two hits in 14:04 time on ice.
EARLY RETURNS
Detroit forwards Andrew Copp, Dominik Kubalík and David Perron, and defensemen Ben Chiarot, Robert Hägg and Olli Määttä have made an immediate impact to begin the 2022-23 season. The six players, all signed as free agents by the Red Wings in July, have combined for 27 points (10-17-27) and a plus-three rating through the first eight games of the campaign.
- Ben Chiarot recorded a goal and an assist on Oct. 15 at New Jersey.
- Andrew Copp tallied an assist in his Red Wings debut on Oct. 14 vs. Montreal. He also had the primary helper on Dylan Larkin’s buzzer-beating goal in the second period on Oct. 15 at New Jersey.
- Robert Hägg ranks among the team leaders with 21 hits (2nd) and nine blocks (T4th). He logged an assist on Oct. 21 at Chicago and Oct. 25 vs. New Jersey.
- Dominik Kubalík leads the Red Wings in assists (7) and points (11) through eight games. He recorded multiple points in four-consecutive games from Oct. 17-25, including a power play goal and two assists on Oct. 23 vs. Anaheim.
- Olli Määttä is tied for the team lead among Detroit blueliners with five points (1-4-5) in eight games. He began the season with a four-game point streak from Oct. 14-21, becoming the first Red Wings defenseman to record a point in each of the first four-plus games of the season since Brian Rafalski in 2008-09 (1-8-9 in 7 GP).
- David Perron is tied for the team lead with four goals and two power play markers. He also leads the Red Wings with two game-winning goals. The 16-year NHL veteran picked up two goals and an assist on Oct. 17 vs. Los Angeles.
MAKING A POINT
- The 2022-23 season is the first in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) that the Red Wings were the last team to suffer a regulation loss, with the last such occurrence coming in 1962-63 when Detroit started 8-0-2 (the 2 designating ties) before its first defeat on Nov. 8, 1962 against Montreal.
- Detroit opened the season with a five-game point streak (3-0-2) for the eighth time in franchise history and just the fourth time in the NHL’s expansion era (see full list below):
SEASON RECORD GP POSTSEASON RESULT
2022-23 3-0-2 5 TBD
2011-12 5-0-0 5 Lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals (NSH)
1997-98 5-0-1 6 Won Stanley Cup (WSH)
1972-73 6-0-0 6 Did not qualify
1962-63 8-0-2 10 Lost in Stanley Cup Final (TOR)
1959-60 5-0-1 6 Lost in NHL Semifinals (TOR)
1956-57 5-0-2 7 Lost in NHL Semifinals (BOS)
1948-49 4-0-1 5 Lost in Stanley Cup Final (TOR)
CZECH MATE
- Dominik Kubalík logged four-straight multi-point games from Oct. 17-25 (3-6-9 in 4 GP). The last Detroit skater with five-consecutive multi-point outings was Johan Franzén from March 15-24, 2009 (4-7-11 in 5 GP)
- Recorded eight points (3-5-8) through his first five games with Detroit. The last skater to record more points through their first five career contests with the franchise was Paul Coffey (2-8-10 in 5 GP) in 1992-93.
- Over the past 10 years, only three players recorded more points through their first five contests with any NHL club: John Tavares (6-4- 10 with Toronto in 2018-19), Matt Duchene (2-7-9 with Nashville in 2019-20) and Zach Parise (5-4-9 with Minnesota in 2012-13).
LOVE TO ‘C’ IT
- Dylan Larkin enters his third season as Detroit’s captain and eighth NHL campaign. He was named the 37th captain in franchise history on Jan. 13, 2021, becoming the first Michigander and native metro Detroiter to wear the ‘C’ for the Red Wings, assuming a captaincy that had been vacant for two seasons following the end of Henrik Zetterberg’s career in 2017-18 due to injury.
- Has recorded 10 points (4-6-10) and is tied for the team lead with a plus-four rating through eight games in 2022-23.
- With a pair of assists on Oct. 29 vs. Minnesota, he boosted his career totals to 368 points (151-217-368 in 512 GP), surpassing Marcel Dionne (139-227-366 in 309 GP) for sole possession of 23rd on the franchise’s all-time points list (see list below):
- Vyacheslav Kozlov – 415 career points with Detroit
- Igor Larionov – 392
- Johan Franzén – 370
- Dylan Larkin – 368
- Marcel Dionne – 366
- Shawn Burr – 362
CAPTAIN CLUTCH
- Dylan Larkin opened the scoring with a power play goal on Oct. 23 vs. Anaheim, marking his 150th career goal in his 509th game with the Red Wings.
- Among players to debut with the franchise, only four skaters have reached the 150-goal mark in fewer games over the past 25 years: Henrik Zetterberg (350 GP on March 25, 2008), Vyacheslav Kozlov (440 GP on Feb. 21, 1999), Johan Franzen (472 GP on April 7, 2012) and Pavel Datsyuk (477 GP on Dec. 20, 2008).
- Tallied his 151st career NHL goal on Oct. 25 vs. New Jersey, tying Bruce MacGregor for sole possession of 24th place on the franchise’s all-time list (see list below):
- Mickey Redmond – 177 career goals with Detroit
- Red Kelly – 162
- Kris Draper – 158
- Ray Sheppard – 152
T24. Dylan Larkin – 151
T24. Bruce MacGregor – 151
IT’S HOCKEY SEASON, NOT SPOOKY SEASON
- Tonight marks the 24th time in franchise history that the Red Wings will play on Halloween.
- The Red Wings own a 12-7-4-0 record when playing on Oct. 31.
- Detroit has won five-straight games on Halloween dating back to the 2001-02 campaign (2001 at Dallas, 2009 at Calgary, 2014 vs. Los Angeles, 2015 at Ottawa and 2017 vs. Arizona).
FIL THE THRILL
- Filip Hronek picked up an assist in his 250th career NHL game on Oct. 23 vs. Anaheim.
- Tied a career high with an assist in four-straight games from Oct. 15-23 (0-4-4 in 4 GP), matching his assist streaks from March 31- April 6, 2019 (1-4-5 in 4 GP) and March 9-16, 2021 (0-7-7 in 4 GP).
- Also recorded his 100th career NHL assist on Dylan Larkin’s power play goal on Oct. 21 at Chicago.
- Among defensemen, Hronek needed the fifth-fewest games from the start of his NHL career to reach 100 assists with the Red Wings (see list below):
Reed Larson – 185 games to reach the 100-assist mark with Detroit
Nicklas Lidström – 194
Yves Racine – 222
Niklas Kronwall – 248
Filip Hronek – 249
Willie Huber – 258
GRAND OPENING
- Detroit began the 2022-23 season with a 3-0 victory over Montreal on Oct. 14, marking the Red Wings’ first shutout victory in a home opener since a 4-0 decision on Oct. 9, 2015 vs. Toronto.
- In all, the Red Wings are 53-32-9-2 all-time in home openers, and 3-1-2 at Little Caesars Arena.
- Head coach Derek Lalonde became the fourth-straight bench boss to win his Red Wings debut, joining Dave Lewis (Oct. 10, 2002 at San Jose), Mike Babcock (Oct. 5, 2005 vs. St. Louis) and Jeff Blashill (Oct. 9, 2015 vs. Toronto).
- Elmer Söderblom scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in his NHL debut with 17:27 left in the third period.
- Ville Husso stopped all 29 shots he faced in his Red Wings debut, becoming the second goalie in Red Wings history to post a shutout in his team debut, joining Dave Gatherum who did so on Oct. 11, 1953 vs. Toronto.
- Michael Rasmussen and Olli Määttä tallied empty-net goals 13 seconds apart to wrap up the contest. Rasmussen factored in on all three Detroit goals, adding a pair of assists for his first career three-point performance, while Määttä scored in his Red Wings debut after netting just one goal in 107 games with Los Angeles from 2020-22.
- Oskar Sundqvist matched a career high with two assists, marking his first multi-assist game in a Detroit jersey.
- Andrew Copp also dished out an assist in his first Red Wings appearance.
ELMER’S GLUE
- Elmer Söderblom scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in his NHL debut on Oct. 14 vs. Montreal.
- Became the fourth Red Wings player in the past 10 years to score in their NHL debut, joining Dennis Cholowski (Oct. 4, 2018), Dylan Larkin (Oct. 9, 2015) and Brian Lashoff (Jan. 21, 2013).
- Also the fifth player in franchise history to score in their first career NHL game and have it stand as the game-winning goal, joining Steve Martinson (Oct. 9, 1987), Mark Osborne (Oct. 6, 1981), Connie Brown (Jan. 26, 1939) and Carl Liscombe (Nov. 25, 1937).
A MOUNTAIN OF A MAN
- Standing at 6-foot-8, Elmer Söderblom is the tallest player in Red Wings history. The previous mark of 6-foot-6 was held by forward Michael Rasmussen (2018-19; 2020-present), defensemen Yip Foster (1933-35) and Uwe Krupp (1998-99; 2001-02), and goaltenderMagnus Hellberg (2021-22).
- Weighing in at 246 pounds, Söderblom is also the heaviest player in franchise history, surpassing Krupp (240 pounds), along with forward Stu Grimson (239 pounds, 1994-97) and defenseman Derian Hatcher (235 pounds, 2003-04).
- Originally selected by the Red Wings in the sixth round (159th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Söderblom joins a list of notable
European late-round picks to suit up for the team:
Jonathan Ericsson, 291st overall, 2002
Tomas Holmström, 257th overall, 1994
Vladimir Konstantinov, 221st overall, 1989
Henrik Zetterberg, 210th overall, 1999
Pavel Datsyuk, 171th overall, 1998
Elmer Söderblom, 159th overall, 2019
NEWSY FLASH
- Derek Lalonde became the first head coach in franchise history to record at least one point in each of his first five contests with Detroit, eclipsing three-game runs by Jeff Blashill (3-0-0 in 2015-16), Mike Babcock (3-0-0 in 2005-06), Jimmy Skinner (3-0-0 in 1954-55) and Tommy Ivan (2-0-1 in 1947-48).
- Lalonde also became the fourth-straight head coach to win his Red Wings debut, joining Dave Lewis (Oct. 10, 2002 at San Jose), Mike Babcock (Oct. 5, 2005 vs. St. Louis) and Jeff Blashill (Oct. 9, 2015 vs. Toronto).
BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:
LAST GAME
Saturday, Oct. 29
Chicago 3 at Buffalo 4 (OT)
Goals: Olofsson (2), Thompson (2)
Goalie: Anderson (23 saves/26 shots)
PP: 2/3; PK: 3/4; Shots: Buffalo 45 – Chicago 26
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 11)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Henri Jokiharju (Upper body, Oct. 22; IR) – 4 games
Mattias Samuelsson (Lower body, Oct. 25; IR) – 3 games
Ilya Lyubushkin (Lower body, Oct. 29) – 1 game
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
10/30: Placed F Riley Sheahan on waivers
UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday, Nov. 2: Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 4: Buffalo at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 5: Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 8: Arizona at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 10: Vegas at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
RED WINGS at SABRES
• This is the first of four meetings between the Sabres and Red Wings this season.
• Last meeting: Detroit defeated Buffalo 3-2 in overtime in Buffalo on Jan. 17, 2022.
• Next meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 30 in Detroit
• The Sabres are 4-1-5 in their last 10 games against the Red Wings; 4-1-5 at home.
• This is the 150th game all-time between Buffalo and Detroit; Buffalo has a 66-60-23 series record.
• The Sabres are 39-20-14 at home against the Red Wings all-time.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Entering play Sunday, Victor Olofsson had recorded more multi-goal games (3) than any NHL skater in 2022-23.
• A goal in tonight’s game would give Jeff Skinner 300 goals in his NHL career.
• There are currently 20 active players, and 211 all-time, with 300 or more goals scored in their respective careers.
• Tage Thompson has notched six points (3+3) in his last six games.
• Jeff Skinner enters tonight’s game with four points (1+3) in his last four contests.
CLIPPING THE WINGS
• The Sabres have recorded a point in each of their last six home games against the Red Wings dating back to March 29, 2018.
• It’s the team’s longest home point streak against the Red Wings since the Sabres earned a point in 14 straight home contests from Jan. 7, 1979 to March 22, 1987 (10-0-4).
• Buffalo has gained at least a point in 16 of its last 19 matchups with Detroit, including 11 of the last 12 meetings dating back to the start of 2018-19.
• Four of the last six matchups between Buffalo and Detroit have been decided in overtime or a shootout.
• Jeff Skinner has recorded four points (2+2) in his last four games against the Red Wings.
• Rasmus Dahlin has tallied at least one point in eight of his 11 career games against Detroit (2+7).
• Craig Anderson is 4-1-2 in his last seven games against Detroit with a .955 save percentage and a 1.28 goals-against average.
• Anderson has posted a .922 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average in 26 career games against the Red Wings.
• Entering play Sunday, Anderson ranked fifth among NHL goaltenders in high-danger save percentage at 5-on-5 (.917).
SAFE AND SOUND
• The Sabres had recorded the fifth fewest giveaways in the NHL (54) entering play Sunday and ranked fifth in giveaways per 60 minutes (6.74).
• Buffalo is one of four teams (Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus, St. Louis) that rank in the top ten in both giveaways per game and takeaways per game.
• Five Sabres skaters have not recorded a giveaway in 2022-23 (Rasmus Asplund, Kale Clague, Zemgus Girgensons, Ilya Lyubushkin, Kyle Okposo).
• Entering play Sunday, Alex Tuch led all Sabres skaters and was tied for 10th in the NHL in takeaways (9).
DRAFT AND DEVELOP
• Six of the nine Sabres skaters to record a goal this season were drafted by Buffalo (Dylan Cozens, Rasmus Dahlin, Zemgus Girgensons, Casey Mittelstadt, Victor Olofsson, JJ Peterka).
• 12 players drafted by Buffalo have played five or more games for the Sabres in 2022-23.
• Players drafted by the Sabres have accounted for 19 of Buffalo’s 29 total goals.
• Six players drafted by the Sabres that have played a game this season (Rasmus Asplund, Dahlin, Mittelstadt, Olofsson,
Jack Quinn, Mattias Samuelsson) own an on-ice goals for percentage of 65.00 or higher.
• Olofsson (81.82) and Quinn (80.00) both own an on-ice goals for percentage of 80.00 or higher.
TUCH BY LIGHTNING
• Despite ranking third among Buffalo skaters in shot attempts (40) and fourth in individual scoring chances for (22), Alex Tuch is tied with Victor Olofsson for the Sabres team lead in goals (6) and leads all NHL skaters in goals scored while their team is leading (5), according to Natural Stat Trick.
• Tuch leads all Sabres skaters in shooting percentage (26.09) in 2022-23.
• Tuch (12.01) ranks second, behind only Rasmus Dahlin (13.9), in on-ice expected goals for among Sabres skaters, according to Natural Stat Trick.
WELCOME TO BUFFALO
The Sabres have three new players on their opening-day roster this season: Player, Pos. How Acquired Pronunciation Notes Eric Comrie, G Free agency KAWM-ree Among NHL goaltenders to play at least 10 games in 2021-22, Comrie ranked among the league leaders at 5-on-5 in save
percentage (1st, .936), high-danger save percentage (6th, .863), goals saved above average per 60 minutes (2nd, .62) and high-danger goals saved above average per 60 minutes (6th, .31). Ilya Lyubushkin, D Free Agency lee-oo-BUHSH-kihn Set single-season career-highs in games played (77), goals (2), assists (13), points (15) and hits (187) after splitting the season between Arizona and Toronto last season. Riley Sheahan, C Free Agency SHAY-an Skated in his 600th NHL game on Feb. 9, 2022 vs. Arizona. Played in 53 games with Buffalo in 2020-21.
2022-23 ROSTER NOTES
Of the 24 players on Buffalo’s opening-night roster:
• 12 were drafted by the Sabres — five were first-round selections (Girgensons, 2012; Mittelstadt, 2017; Dahlin, 2018; Cozens, 2019; Quinn, 2020; Power, 2021), three were second-round picks (Asplund, 2016; Samuelsson, 2018; Peterka, 2020), one was a third-round pick (Fitzgerald, 2016), one was a fourth-round pick (Bryson, 2017) and one was a seventh-round pick (Olofsson, 2014).
• Six were acquired in trades: Bjork, Jokiharju, Krebs, Skinner, Thompson, Tuch
• Six were signed as free agents: Anderson, Comrie, Hinostroza, Lyubushkin, Okposo, Sheahan
• 21 played in Buffalo at some point last season: Anderson, Asplund, Bjork, Bryson, Cozens, Dahlin, Fitzgerald, Girgensons, Hinostroza, Jokiharju, Krebs, Mittelstadt, Okposo, Olofsson, Peterka, Power, Quinn, Samuelsson, Skinner, Thompson, Tuch
• One played for Buffalo previously: Sheahan
• Two are new to the Sabres this season: Comrie, Lyubushkin
HERE TO STAY
Four members of the Sabres’ organization signed multi-year contract extensions prior to the 2022-23 season:
• Kevyn Adams: Adams was named the ninth general manager in Buffalo Sabres franchise history on June 16, 2020. The 2022-23 season will mark his third as general manager and eighth overall with the franchise.
• Don Granato: Granato is currently in his fourth season with the Sabres and his second full season as head coach after serving as an interim head coach during part of the 2020-21 season and an assistant coach during the 2019-20 campaign.
• Tage Thompson: Thompson signed a seven-year extension worth $50 million with Buffalo on Aug. 30, 2022. In 2021-22, he became the first Buffalo skater since Thomas Vanek in 2006-07 to record 38 or more goals and 30 or more assists in a single season.
• Mattias Samuelsson: Samuelsson signed a seven-year extension worth $30 million with Buffalo on Oct. 12, 2022. He recorded NHL career highs in games played (42), assists (10), points (10) and shots on goal (44) during the 2021-22 season.
I AM THE CAPTAIN NOW
On Saturday, Oct. 8, Buffalo announced their captains for the 2022-23 season:
• Captain, Kyle Okposo: Okposo joined the Sabres organization prior to the 2016-17 season and has served as an alternate captain with Buffalo in each of the past five seasons. Has served as one of his team’s alternate captains in 12 of his previous 15 NHL seasons and this season will mark his first as a captain in the NHL.
• Alternate, Rasmus Dahlin: In 2021-22, Dahlin became the seventh Sabres defenseman ever to reach the 50-point plateau in a season. His 53 points represented the highest total by a Sabres defenseman since Garry Galley recorded 54 points in 1995-96. The 2022-23 season will mark the first time he has served as a full-time alternate captain.
• Alternate, Zemgus Girgensons: Drafted by the Sabres in the first round (14th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Girgensons played in his 500th career NHL game as a Sabre on Nov. 6 vs. Detroit and became the 31st skater in Buffalo Sabres history to reach that milestone. He also served as an alternate captain in 2021-22.
