Red Wings 3, Sabres 0
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Center Dylan Larkin scored with 7:59 remaining and goalie Petr Mrazek made 19 saves to lead the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Left winger Henrik Zetterberg scored twice for the Red Wings (24-15-8), who stopped a two-game skid. It was Mrazek's third shutout of the season and the eighth of his career.
Goalie Robin Lehner made 42 saves for Buffalo (19-25-4).
The Red Wings dominated the flow of play throughout the game, outshooting the Sabres 45-19.
Larkin's winner came after a shot by center Luke Glendening missed the net to the right. Larkin quickly fired a shot from a hard angle that went through Lehner's legs. It was Larkin's team-best 15th goal of the season.
The Sabres challenged the goal, but replay review confirmed that the Red Wings were onside despite a close call at the blue line.
Zetterberg made it 2-0 with 2:51 remaining. Larkin found the Red Wings captain in front of the Sabres' net with a strong pass from the point and Zetterberg did the rest with a nifty backhand deke on Lehner.
Zetterberg added an empty-net goal with 48.8 seconds remaining.
Detroit established its dominance in the second period after spending a large portion of the second in the Buffalo zone. Detroit outshot Buffalo 15-9 in the second but were foiled by Lehner.
Lehner's best moment came five minutes into the period after a long shot by Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith from the left post. Lehner dropped to the ice to cover the loose puck with several Red Wings ready to pounce.
Larkin's goal came after the Sabres killed off a four-minute high-sticking penalty on left winger Marcus Foligno. The Sabres have successfully killed 19 penalties in a row and last allowed a power-play goal on Jan. 10 against Winnipeg.
Larkin also had a shot go off the crossbar early in the third period.
NOTES: Red Wings C Brad Richards and D Niklas Kronwall were scratched. Richards missed the game after the death of his grandfather and is expected to return in time for Saturday's game against Anaheim. ... Kronwall is out 2-4 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday. ... D Josh Gorges (upper body), C Sam Reinhart (upper body) and C Carlo Colaiacovo were scratched for the Sabres. Gorges had a setback after returning to the lineup on Wednesday ... This was the fourth of five meetings between the Sabres and Red Wings this season. The fifth and final meeting takes place on Monday, March 28 in Detroit.