Sabres at Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings look to rebound from what defenseman Niklas Kronwall called an “embarrassing” performance when they host the improving Buffalo Sabres on Monday. The Red Wings, who are even in points with Philadelphia for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, have allowed 19 goals in their last four games and are coming off a 7-2 home loss to Pittsburgh.
“Whether it’s the coach, whether it’s the players, we’ve all got to execute at a higher level,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill told reporters after his team fell to 3-4-0 in its last seven contests Saturday. Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg also said after the loss, “It’s not good, but we’ve got a game Monday. We’ve got to clear the air here and come back and play.” Righting the ship won’t be easy against the Sabres, who have gone 4-1-1 in their last six contests and 6-3-3 this month with an exciting young lineup. Rookie center Jack Eichel, 19, scored his 23rd goal Saturday in a 3-2 win over Winnipeg to become the youngest Buffalo player to reach 50 points in a season since defenseman Phil Housley in 1982-83.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, Sportsnet, FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE SABRES (31-34-10): Hudson Fasching registered a goal and defenseman Casey Nelson added an assist in their NHL debuts on Saturday. Eichel (six goals in 11 games this month) and 20-year-old forward Sam Reinhart, who has notched five points in four contests, continue to shine. “I don’t really look at them as rookies or young players anymore,” coach Dan Bylsma told reporters. “They’re players that are stepping up for our team and leading our team in a lot of ways.”
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (37-27-11): The string of 24 straight playoff appearances could come to an end if Detroit can’t fix issues at both ends of the ice in the next two weeks. The Red Wings are allowing too many prime scoring chances and turning over the puck while Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard have been below average at times. Veteran center Pavel Datsyuk has been productive with two goals and three assists during his four-game point streak while rookie Dylan Larkin continues to struggle with four points in 16 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Sabres G Chad Johnson, who is one triumph away from his first 20-win season, is 7-1-0 in his last eight starts.
2. Zetterberg, who shares the team lead with Datsyuk at 45 points, is a minus-6 with one assist in his last four games.
3. Buffalo captain Ryan O’Reilly leads the team with 52 points but has gone 23 contests without a goal.