Raymond lifts Red Wings past Sabres in OT

Lucas Raymond scored 26 seconds into overtime to give the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday.

Raymond took a drop pass from Dylan Larkin and skated into the Sabres zone before shooting past Rasmus Dahlin and five-hole on Dustin Tokarski.
"When I looked up, I could see a lot more of [Dahlin] than I could of the net," Raymond said. "I figured if I could get a shot past his stick, I could use him as a screen."
Said Tokarski, "I should have had that one; I saw it all the way. I think he took something off it and it just handcuffed me. If I make that save, we have a chance at getting both points."
Alex Nedeljkovic made 26 saves for the Red Wings (10-9-3), who have won two straight at home following an 0-3-1 road trip.
"I thought this was a game we deserved to win," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. "We could have been up 3-1 or 4-1, given the opportunities we had, and I didn't think we gave away much defensively. That's a good night for us."
The Red Wings are 7-2-2 at home this season.
"I think it is really important for us to play well here," Larkin said. "Our fans have been showing up and the atmosphere has been great after a long year without them."
Tokarski made 38 saves for the Sabres (8-10-3), who have lost five of six (1-4-1).
Buffalo was playing for the second straight night and for the fifth time in seven days. It won 4-1 against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.
"You never want to be satisfied with only one point, but we can definitely build on getting three points this weekend," said Tokarski, who also started against Montreal. "We've played a lot of games in a short period of time, and this is a good way to finish it."

Dylan Cozens gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 5:05 of the second period, tapping in Brett Murray's centering pass on a 3-on-2 rush. Murray's assist was his first NHL point in his fifth game.
Carter Rowney tied it 1-1 at 9:56. Gustav Lindstrom's shot hit Tokarski's stick and bounced behind him, and as the Sabres goalie tried to find the loose puck, he knocked it toward the goal line with his left pad and Rowney pushed it in.
Pius Suter gave Detroit a 2-1 lead at 11:15, jamming in the rebound after Tokarski saved Moritz Seider's initial shot.
Tokarski said thought he had been bumped by Givani Smith, but Buffalo coach Don Granato chose not to challenge the play.
"I told the guys after the game that I was at fault there," Granato said. "We didn't have great video on the bench, and if you challenge and lose, they get the power play. But I saw a better video later, and I should have made the challenge."
Jeff Skinner tied it 2-2 at 18:23 of the third period, deflecting Cody Eakin's point shot with Tokarski pulled for the extra attacker.
"When you are in front of the net at 6-on-5, you are just hoping for a rebound or a deflection," Skinner said. "Luckily, I was able to get my stick on that shot and put it over the goalie."
NOTES: Red Wings forward Vladislav Namestnikov played in his 500th NHL game. He has scored 217 points (98 goals, 119 assists) for the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche and Red Wings. Since signing with Detroit as a free agent prior to the 2020-21 season, he has scored 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) in 75 games.