PREVIEW: Detroit opens important late-season back-to-back set in Buffalo on Friday

BUFFALO -- Taking on the leaders of the Atlantic Division in the front half of their penultimate back-to-back set of the season, the Detroit Red Wings will visit the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Friday night.

“This is a great test for us tonight,” goaltender Cam Talbot said. “I feel like tonight is the perfect game, coming off the last two, to come in against a team that’s playing better than anyone else in the NHL and start this stretch off properly.”

Puck drop for the finale of the three-game season series between the Red Wings (38-25-8; 84 points) and Sabres (44-20-8; 96 points) is set for 7 p.m., with broadcast coverage on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit). These two squads last met on Nov. 15, when Detroit fell by a score of 5-4 in overtime after a 4-2 loss at KeyBank Center on Oct. 22.

“We’re in a very manageable situation,” said Moritz Seider, who is set to appear in his 400th consecutive career NHL game. “It’s all on our shoulders now and it’s time to make a difference. It starts tonight. We play against an excellent opponent and if we’re going to get two points here, I think we can go on a little bit of a run. That’s what we need to get in. I think everyone knows that and I think we’re all capable of that.”

“We’re in a very manageable situation,” said Moritz Seider, who is set to appear in his 400th consecutive career NHL game. “It’s all on our shoulders now and it’s time to make a difference. It starts tonight. We play against an excellent opponent and if we’re get two points here, I think we can go on a little bit of a run. That’s what we need to get in. I think everyone knows that and I think we’re all capable of that.”

On Tuesday night, Detroit’s rally against the Ottawa Senators fell just short as it dropped a 3-2 decision at Little Caesars Arena to wrap up a four-game homestand. Captain Dylan Larkin and Dominik Shine each scored for the Red Wings, who are 36-5-3 when allowing three goals or fewer -- excluding shootout-deciding tallies – this season.  

“We have to manage moments throughout games and throughout this stretch,” Talbot said. “There’s little moments throughout a game that make a big impact at the end, so I feel like our emotion, desire, compete…all those things have to get at the highest level right now with 11 games to go.”

Following Friday’s morning skate in Buffalo, Detroit was two points behind Ottawa Senators, who were also on the outside looking in at the Stanley Cup Playoffs picture in the Eastern Conference, and three back of the New York Islanders, who held the first Wild-Card spot. Important to note, however, that the Red Wings did have one game in hand on the Senators and two on the Islanders.

With the margin of error only shrinking and considering how significant every game is from here on out as their chase for a 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs spot continues, Detroit head coach Todd McLellan said his messaging hasn’t changed in the slightest. 

“We only control what we control,” McLellan said. “Another cliché, you’re going to hear a whole bunch of them from a lot of different people, but that’s the way it is. We look at it as an opportunity tonight to win on the road. We’ll worry about the next game when it comes and worry about the standings as they roll out. It’s as simple as that.”

As Talbot pointed out, the Sabres have been the hottest club in the NHL over the past several months, posting a 33-6-4 record since Dec. 9, and are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the visiting Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.

Tage Thompson’s 36 goals and 74 points both lead Buffalo, while captain Rasmus Dahlin ranks first in assists with 50 and second in points with 65. Alex Tuch (29 goals, 30 assists) and Ryan McLeod (12 goals, 38 assists) sit third and fourth on the club in scoring, respectively, and have combined for 109 points.

Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen comprise the Sabres’ goaltending tandem, with the former Red Wings netminder posting a 20-8-4 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .912 save percentage as well as three shutouts in 34 appearances.

“Obviously, they play a very dynamic game,” Seider said. “Almost like a run and gun game. They wait for mistakes in the neutral zone or shortly after their own blue line, and then they kind of transition fast."