PREVIEW: Red Wings kick off weekend back-to-back set, beginning in Buffalo on Saturday afternoon

BUFFALO -- Looking for their fourth consecutive victory, the Detroit Red Wings will visit the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Saturday afternoon for the first half of a weekend back-to-back set.

Puck drop between Detroit (4-3-0; 8 points) and Buffalo (3-4-1; 7 points) is set for 1 p.m., with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket). The Atlantic Division foes are also set to face one another next Saturday (Nov. 2) at Little Caesars Arena.

The Red Wings embark on a quick road trip riding a wave of positive energy following a 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Patrick Kane (one goal, one assist), Alex DeBrincat (one goal, one assist) and Lucas Raymond (two assists) led Detroit offensively, while goalie Cam Talbot stood strong in net with 37 saves against New Jersey.

“[Thursday] was a game where we gutted it out on special teams and goaltending,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. “We played good 5-on-5.”

Captain Dylan Larkin, who scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season on Thursday, said his club was rewarded for playing with emotion against the Devils.

“[Emotion] doesn’t always have to be a fight,” Larkin said. “It could be a big hit, a blocked shot or a big save, which we’ve been getting. It was good to see, when those things did happen, that guys stood up for themselves and other guys on our team.”

How a team responds to the challenge when faced with tough competition can say a lot about the group itself. After Saturday’s matchup in Buffalo, Detroit will host the defending Western Conference-champion Edmonton Oilers (3-4-1; 7 points) on Sunday before welcoming the currently undefeated Winnipeg Jets (7-0-0; 14 points) to Little Caesars Arena next Wednesday (Oct. 30).

“We knew it was going to be hard,” Larkin said about the Red Wings’ early-season schedule. “We feel good about the spot we’re in right now, but there’s more. There’s room for improvement, and that’s exciting. That’s on us to continue to buy in to that, continue to play defense and get better as the season goes along.”

Larkin added that grabbing momentum early on in a season is extremely valuable.

“It’s something that’s not talked about a lot, but just keep accumulating points,” Larkin said. “It’s something we learned last year. We were a young team, and we hadn’t been in that position as a group. Now you kind of feel like you’re on a good roll like this, you want to keep it going and realize how important every game is when you’re feeling good, feeling well and finding ways to win.”

Buffalo has won two games in a row, most recently a 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Alex Tuch leads the Sabres in scoring with nine points (three goals, six assists) this season, while Tage Thompson ranks second with eight points (five goals, three assists). Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 30 saves against the Stars, improving to 2-2-1 with a 3.01 goals-against average and .903 save percentage this season.

Lalonde said with J.T. Compher, who missed Thursday’s game due to illness, questionable for Saturday’s game, Detroit might go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second straight game.

“I like 11 [forwards] and seven [blueliners] on the road,” Lalonde said. “I’m comfortable. Probably, in the midst of a three [games] in four [days], with some of the minutes guys had [on Thursday], I’d probably prefer the 12 forwards, but that’s something we’ll evaluate.”

The third-year NHL head coach also said Tyler Motte (upper body) remains day-to-day and will not be available in Buffalo.

“He did get a post-practice skate [on Friday], so he’s taking some steps,” Lalonde said about the 29-year-old forward. “But he’s still day-to-day, wouldn’t call it week-to-week, but we’re approaching that.”