Red Wings respond for win against Sabres

DETROIT-- Jimmy Howard made 19 saves, and the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 at Little Caesars Arena on Friday.

Luke Glendening, Tomas Tatar and Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit (10-8-2), which is 6-2-1 after a six-game losing streak.
"We had a stretch when we were playing pretty well and losing, and we had to talk about it," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "This is a hard league, and you've got to be great to win. We've done a pretty good job of that, but we have to keep it going."
WATCH: [All Sabres vs. Red Wings highlights]
Ryan O'Reilly scored for Buffalo (5-10-4), which has lost four in a row (0-2-2).
"We are embarrassed by this," O'Reilly said. "We have to play with a lot more effort than we showed tonight."
Robin Lehner, who shut out Detroit 1-0 in Buffalo on Oct. 24, made 30 saves.
"It doesn't matter if I think I'm playing well, because we keep losing games," he said.

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.
"I got the puck in the middle, and I had some time, so I just tried to throw it over his pads," Tatar said. "I'm not sure who was in front, but big thanks to them, because [Lehner] probably didn't see it."
Larkin made it 3-1 at 15:54, tucking a rebound under Lehner.
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.
Buffalo killed three power plays in the second period, including 26 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage, but felt that effort ruined the game.
"When you are spending that much time killing penalties, it takes you out of the game," O'Reilly said. "You wear out the guys that are killing, and the guys who aren't end up sitting around. You never get any rhythm."
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.
"With all the chances we were getting, this could have been a game that could come back to haunt us," Glendening said. "We just played smart and stuck with our plan, and it finally paid off."
Sabres forward Evander Kane slammed his stick on the ice after missing an open net with two seconds left.
"That was a frustrating period, because they took it to us, and we didn't respond," he said.

O'Reilly tied it 1-1 at 5:50 of the third period, knocking a rebound past Howard. The Red Wings challenged, claiming goaltender interference by Kyle Okposo, but the goal was upheld after review.
"I got that goal, but their first goal came when my guy got in front of me at the edge of the crease and put the puck in the back of the net," O'Reilly said. "So I'm not happy with my play."

Goal of the game

Tatar's goal at 8:36 of the third period.

Save of the game

Howard's save on Nolan's breakaway at 4:57 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

O'Reilly's goal at 5:50 of the third period.

They said it

"We got outworked, outplayed and outhustled. When we are intense and focused on every battle, we can be a good hockey team. We didn't do any of that tonight." -- Sabres coach Phil Housley
"Last year, when we lost a lead, we would stop playing for a few minutes, and the next thing you know, the other team would have scored two. This year, we're staying calm and sticking with our system." -- Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar

Need to know

Sabres forward Kyle Criscuolo, who won an American Hockey League championship with Detroit's affiliate in Grand Rapids, played 6:56 in his NHL debut. The 25-year-old nearly scored on his first shift, forcing Howard into a save with a tip in front. … Glendening has five goals in 20 games after scoring three in 74 last season.

What's next

Sabres: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, FS-CR, NHL.TV)
Red Wings: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday (6 p.m. ET; FS-D, ALT, NHL.TV)