"I thought [the response in the third period] was terrific," head coach Greg Cronin said. "It was a different brand of hockey than in Boston, Detroit has a lot of speed, talent and skill. They play an up-and-down game. I think any time you give up three power-play goals and still get a point, it's a good effort from the group. It's a good point."
The loss dropped Anaheim to 25-24-7 on the season but pulled the club with six points of the final Western Conference Wild Card position.
"We're playing with tons of confidence right now," Fabbri said. "You can see it watching all four lines, all six defensemen and both goalies. Everyone is pulling their weight right now and meshing well together. Ultimately, we're feeding off each other. When we need someone to speak up, someone is speaking up. When we need a big hit or someone to play a make, we're doing it right now. It's fun to be a part of."
Anaheim's lineup will need a change up front Tuesday night though after the NHL suspended Trevor Zegras for three games for a hit in Sunday's game at Detroit. Zegras owns 16 points in 34 games this season, including six in 10 appearances since returning from a torn meniscus. While the club's forward lines are yet to be announced, versatile veteran Jansen Harkins, a healthy scratch for the past two games, figures to dress in Zegras' absence.
Meanwhile, on the other bench tonight is a Buffalo team coming off maybe its best game of the season, an 8-2 thumping of the rival New York Rangers Saturday on home ice. The Sabres raced out to an early 5-0 lead in the first period that night, chasing Rangers star goaltender Igor Shesterkin from the game in both clubs' return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
“We were aggressive,” Buffalo captain Rasmus Dahlin, one of three Sabres with two goals in the win, told media postgame. “We came out flying, honestly. All the [defensemen] had good gaps, and we had poise with the puck...They pushed back a little bit in the second period, but we just kept our poise and just worked through the game.”
The Sabres (23-27-5, 51 points) sit eighth in the Atlantic Division, 11 points back of a playoff spot.
