SABRES (17-32-11) at RED WINGS (24-26-9) 7:30 p.m. ET; FS-D, MSG-B, NHL.TV
Detroit is 1-3-0 in its past four games and trails the Columbus Blue Jackets by eight points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Sabres are 0-2-1 in their past three games and 3-6-2 since the All-Star break. Buffalo has been held to two goals or fewer in six of its past 11. Goaltender Robin Lehner is expected to play after missing one game with an upper-body injury.
Players to watch
Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his past five games, and is second on the team with 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 59 games. Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, Detroit's leading scorer with 44 points (nine goals, 35 assists), hasn't scored a power-play goal since a season-opening 4-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 5.
They said it
"We know that we've got to get the puck through the neutral zone and dump it in deep. Detroit will be trying to force turnovers and use their speed in transition, and we have to prevent that. We have to take away all of their space." -- Sabres coach Phil Housley "There can't be anything like a trap game for this team. We're fighting for our lives right now, and there aren't bad teams in this league any more. We need to get these two points." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill
Green will miss his fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. Blashill said he could be back this weekend.
Stat pack
Wilson has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past six games. He didn't score a point in 17 games with Detroit before being traded to the Sabres on Dec. 4 for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. … The Red Wings have scored two goals or fewer in nine of their past 13 games.
