The Detroit Red Wings return to action after being off since Sunday (Oct. 19), when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers. They head to Buffalo to take on a struggling yet dangerous Sabres team looking to get back on track. Coming into the game, the Sabres have won two of their last three games.
Projected Lines
Red Wings
Emmitt Finnie- Dylan Larkin- Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat- Marco Kasper- Michael Brandsegg-Nygård
James van Riemsdyk- Andrew Copp- Michael Rasmussen
Mason Appleton- JT Compher- Jonatan Berggren
Ben Chiarot- Moritz Seider
Simon Edvinsson- Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Albert Johansson- Jacob Bernard-Docker
John Gibson
Cam Talbot
Sabres
Zach Benson- Jiri Kulich- Tage Thompson
Josh Doan- Ryan McLeod- Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker- Noah Ostlund- Jack Quinn
Peyton Krebs- Tyson Kosak- Malenstyn
Rasmus Dahlin- Bowen Byram
Owen Power- Mattias Samuelsson
Zach Metsa- Conor Timmins
Colten Ellis
Alex Lyon
2024-25 Matchups
- Oct.26, 2024- 5-3 Sabres victory
- Nov.2, 2024- 2-1 Red Wings victory
- Dec.9, 2024- 6-5 Red Wings shootout victory
- March 12, 2025- 7-3 Red Wings victory
The Red Wings had solid success against the Sabres last season, winning three of the four matchups between the two Atlantic Division foes. They were led by Lucas Raymond (five points) and Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider (four points apiece). Ten players tallied points against the Sabres, sharing the wealth throughout the entire lineup. For the Sabres, veteran Jason Zucker led the way offensively with four total points, along with Tage Thompson. They were much like the Red Wings, with the offense being spread out in the season series.
Team Leaders
Red Wings
Goals: Dylan Larkin– Five goals
Assists: Alex DeBrincat/ Dylan Larkin- Six assists
Points: Dylan Larkin- 11 points
Sabres
Goals: Jason Zucker- Three goals
Assists: Zach Benson- Six assists
Points: Zach Benson- Six points
X-Factors/ What to Watch For
Colten Ellis Making His First NHL Start
The Red Wings will be facing a netminder making his first career NHL start tonight, with the Sabres starting Colten Ellis. As a team that struggles with giving up shots to their opponents (33.5 a game), the Red Wings could take advantage of that. Getting shots on Ellis early and making them count from high-danger areas could lead to a quick start for the Red Wings. On the flip side, if they are unable to break through on the Sabres’ defense early on and allow Ellis to settle in, it could make for a tightly contested game. With the firepower and the way the Red Wings have been playing offensively, they should have success in the offensive zone.
Containing Tage Thompson
While Thompson has not gotten going early on this season in the goal-scoring department, he has the skill set and potential to get himself on track on any given night. He has tortured the Red Wings in his career, tallying 23 points in 19 games. Keeping him in check will certainly be at the top of the Red Wings’ list defensively in tonight’s game. Thompson has struggled to get himself into any high-danger areas this season, and it is most likely that either Moritz Seider or Simon Edvinsson will be tasked with matching up against him to keep him in check. If the Red Wings want to have success tonight, shutting down the 44-goal scorer from last season will be one of the most important ways to make sure that they can push their win streak to six.
Special Teams Matchup
The Red Wings and Sabres have two of the top penalty kill units in the league. Both units are over 90%, with the Sabres having taken quite a bit more penalties than the Red Wings have to this point. For the Red Wings, the power play has been consistent through the first six games, scoring at a 22.2% clip, but the Sabres will surely challenge it if they find themselves on the man-advantage. Players like Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat will be looked to to crack through the Sabres’ penalty kill. With Patrick Kane out of the lineup again due to an upper-body injury, the power play will need someone to step up in his absence.
Related: Red Wings Weekly #2 – Sailing Through the Atlantic
On the flipside of the coin, the Sabres’ power play has been a bit better than the Red Wings’, scoring at a 26.3% clip and slowing them down will be a tough task if the Red Wings find themselves in penalty trouble, which they have done a good job of staying out of for the most part this season. Either way, the special teams units of both teams could end up being one of, if not the biggest, x-factors in the game.
Red Wings Win If..
Simply put, if the Red Wings continue to play the way they have since their opening-night loss to the Montreal Canadiens, they should win this game. Playing a sound defensive game and getting solid goaltending against a team that has scoring threats throughout its entire lineup (even if it has not played up to expectations yet) will go a long way towards pulling off a road victory tonight. Keeping Ellis busy and putting pressure on a Sabres team that struggles to get the puck out of their end of the ice is something that Todd McLellan will likely stress to his team ahead of the game tonight, as the Sabres spend 43.3% of the time in their end, which is ranked 30th in the league.
Getting help from the bottom six of the lineup, as the Red Wings have so far, will be key against the Sabres, who have a solid bottom six as well. Rolling all four lines and taking advantage of the chances they do earn should help lead the Red Wings to another victory.
Red Wings vs Sabres
While the Sabres have not had the greatest start to the 2025-26 regular season, they have shown flashes of having the capability to light up the scoresheet as they did against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 15. The Red Wings could have their hands full tonight, but will be well-rested and ready to roll against one of their Atlantic Division opponents.
