Red Wings pick up a Sunday evening win in Buffalo

By Nick Barnowski – 

The Detroit Red Wings opened up the 2013-14 season with a victory over the Buffalo Sabres, and in their second meeting of the year defeated them again by a score of 3-1.

Johan Franzen and Daniel Alfredsson led the way for the Red Wings (11-7-7), as the pair of wingers each scored a goal and tallied an assist in the win. Alfredsson was back in the line-up after missing five games with a groin injury. He replaced Pavel Datsyuk, who was scratched after receiving an elbow the head from the Ottawa Senators’ Jared Cowen in Saturday’s game.

The Wings fired 34 shots on Buffalo goalie and former Michigan State Spartan Ryan Miller (31 saves), while Jonas Gustavsson got the start over Jimmy Howard and made 21 stops in 22 shots.

Buffalo, debuting brand-new third jerseys, struck first less than halfway through the opening period. A turnover by Darren Helm allowed Drew Stafford to get the puck in the Detroit zone. Stafford passed it to Cody Hodgson who deked around Gustavsson and slid it into the net to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead.

Chances were few after Hodgson’s goal, with Detroit holding a 14-6 shots advantage despite being down a goal. It was only Buffalo’s second time having the lead after the first period this season.

Right out of the intermission break Detroit countered as Darren Helm continued his scoring streak, getting his sixth point in six games to even the score at one. After receiving a pass from Alfredsson in the slot, Helm spun around and whipped a backhand shot past Miller while falling down for his fourth goal of the season.

The Wings then had another chance at goal as three Detroit players busted into the Sabres zone against only one defender, but Helm’s pass to Alfredsson, with Justin Abdelkader on the left side, was returned right back to him unexpectedly and foiled the scoring opportunity.

Gustavsson made a critical stop on a Steve Ott penalty shot with 10:21 left in the second to keep the game tied at one. Ott came in on a breakway on the Detroit goalie and was hooked on the arm by Niklas Kronwall. On the ensuing penalty shot, Ott tried a deke to Gustavsson’s right but was unable to get a solid shot off.

Buffalo controlled play for much of the beginning of the third frame, jumping out to a 5-0 shots on goal lead around the seven-minute mark of the third. Gustav Nyquist then drew a hooking penalty but on the power play the Wings were only able to manage two shots on goal despite keeping the puck in the Buffalo zone for almost the entire two minutes.

Only a couple of minutes after failing to convert on their first power play of the third, Franzen made the Sabres pay on their second. He carried the puck into the slot near Miller’s left hand side and took a shot that seemed to bounce off a Buffalo defender and Miller. The goal was Franzen’s sixth of the season and was assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Kronwall. The assist was Zetterberg’s career point number 700.

Zetterberg almost made it career point number 701 after nearly scoring a highlight reel goal that would have given Detroit a two goal advantage. Nyquist stole the puck away from a Sabre in the neutral zone and left it for the Detroit captain who weaved through the Buffalo defense before attempting a wrap-around that slid right though the crease.

Alfredsson sealed the victory with an empty net goal with 48 seconds left.

The Red Wings will have a couple of days off before facing the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at Joe Louis Arena.