Red Wings 4, Sabres 1
Defenseman Jakub Kindl scored his first goal and Jimmy Howard made 27 saves as the Detroit Red Wings extended their winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 triumph over the host Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
Johan Franzen added his 15th tally and Valtteri Filppula and Pavel Datsyuk each scored for the Red Wings, who have outscored the opposition 28-12 during their current surge.
The Sabres dressed Ryan Miller for the first time since the star goaltender suffered a concussion on Nov. 12 but gave the start to Jhonas Enroth, with Miller set to go on Saturday.
Buffalo had to resist the urge to rush Miller back into the lineup when Enroth allowed three goals in the first period. Kindl sparked the rout, turning from the right point and firing a slap shot past Enroth’s right side after Detroit had won a battle for the puck in the Sabres’ zone.
Franzen made it 2-0 just under five minutes later, catching a pass from Nicklas Lidstrom with his skate before turning in the slot. The star right wing got it to his blade and whipped it past Enroth.
Filppula’s eighth tally came after another turnover and Datsyuk added an empty-netter in the final minutes.