The Red Wings score twice in third period as Jimmy Howard makes 19 saves to thwart Buffalo.
By Dave Hogg / NHL.com correspondent
DETROIT, MI. — Jimmy Howard made 19 saves and the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 3-1, at Little Caesars Arena on Friday night.
Luke Glendening, Tomas Tatar, and Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit (10-8-2), which is 6-2-1 in its past 9 games.
Ryan O’Reilly scored for Buffalo (5-10-4), which lost its fourth straight (0-2-2). Robin Lehner, who shut out Detroit, 1-0, in Buffalo on Oct. 24, made 30 saves.
Tatar gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead at 8:36 of the third period, beating a screened Lehner with a wrist shot for his fifth goal of the season. Larkin made it 3-1 at 15:54, tucking a rebound under Lehner for his fourth goal.
The Sabres had two outstanding chances while shorthanded early in the second period, but Howard stopped Jordan Nolan on a breakaway and Benoit Pouliot hit the post.
The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead at 19:05. Lehner made a pad save on Glendening’s shot from the edge of the crease, but Glendening flipped the rebound into the top of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Sabres forward Evander Kane slammed his stick on the ice after missing an open net with two seconds left in the period.
O’Reilly tied it 1-1 at 5:50 of the third period, knocking a rebound past Howard for his seventh goal of the season. The Red Wings challenged the call, claiming goaltender interference by Kyle Okposo, but the goal was upheld after review.