Byram scores twice as Sabres gain ground in standings with win over Red Wings

Bowen Byram has been thrust into a high-leverage role immediately upon joining the Buffalo Sabres, skating 20-plus minutes nightly on the top defense pair alongside Rasmus Dahlin while playing on both the power play and the penalty kill.

He has also found himself in the thick of a meaningful stretch for the Sabres, who opened a run of three straight games against teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race with a 7-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings at KeyBank Center on Wednesday.

Byram scored a pair of goals, becoming the first defenseman in Sabres history and the 20th defenseman in NHL history to score three or more goals through their first three games with a franchise. (The last was Kurtis Foster for Minnesota in 2005.) But the 22-year-old’s focus afterward was solely on the two vital points his new team had just picked up in the standings.

“Coming to a new team, you definitely want to help the team win any way you can and if that’s scoring goals or blocking shots or playing physical, good D, whatever it might be, it’s a good feeling to be helping out there,” Byram said. “I thought we had a lot of guys that played well tonight and, like I’ve been saying, we’ve got to continue that down the stretch.”

The win moved the Sabres within five points of the second Wild Card in the Eastern Conference, for which the Red Wings are currently tied with the New York Islanders. The Sabres host the Islanders on Thursday, then have a rematch with the Red Wings in Detroit on Saturday afternoon.

Sabres coach Don Granato said Tuesday morning that he sensed his players were embracing the opportunity in front of them, a sentiment they backed up from the opening puck drop against a Red Wings team that had lost its last five games and was returning from playing out west.

Alex Tuch set the tone by forcing a turnover in the neutral zone and scoring on a breakaway just 1:07 into the contest, and the Sabres never looked back. Their next goal – scored by Tyson Jost – was taken off the board due to an offside challenge, yet they still finished the first period with a 4-1 lead.

Zach Benson had a goal and two assists – all during the first period – for his first three-point game in the NHL. Jeff Skinner, Connor Clifton, and JJ Peterka also added goals while Tage Thompson and Jordan Greenway contributed two assists each.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started for the 22nd time in the Sabres’ last 25 games and made 21 saves, including six on high-danger chances (according to Natural Stat Trick).

The performance, Byram said, was indicative of a team eager to capitalize on the opportunity at hand.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “We’re pretty lucky to be able to play teams we’re chasing so many times down the stretch here and we definitely have to take advantage of that if we want to get in. So, it’s a big stretch of hockey for us and we’ve got to be ready to go every night.”

Here’s more from the victory over the Red Wings.

1. Here were the counts when Byram was on the ice at 5-on-5, all of which favored the Sabres: 4-0 in goals, 13-5 in scoring chances, and 26-13 in shot attempts. He now has four points in three games since being acquired from Colorado last Wednesday.

Byram was the beneficiary of a long rebound off a Benson shot during the first period, which he instantly shot from atop the left faceoff circle to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead. He drove to the net and buried the rebound off a shot from Thompson for his second goal.

Granato spoke postgame about how Byram’s dynamic style has fit the Sabres’ up-tempo pace.

“It fits it incredibly well,” Granato said. “It’s what we want, it helps Dahlin, it helps push people back on the other team, [creates] lots of stress, which carries over even to the next shift, which you saw tonight at times. His ability to play that dynamic, up-tempo style that we want and defend as well as we’re aspiring to get to – yeah, it’s a big boost.”

2. Benson became the third-youngest player in Sabres history to record three points in a single period at 18 years and 305 days old, trailing only Pierre Turgeon (18 years, 65 days) and Phil Housley (18 years, 222 days).

After shooting to create the rebound that led to Byram’s goal, Benson scored a goal of his own at what could have been a pivotal moment. Ben Chiarot had scored for the Red Wings on just their second shot of the game, cutting the Sabres’ lead to 2-1. Benson responded with his goal just 23 seconds later, drifting backward into open ice and burying a one-timer on a pass from Greenway.

Benson then delivered a quick pass to set up Skinner’s goal, which made it 3-1 later in the period.

“He’s put the work in, lots of detail to his game, so for him to produce, he’s earned it,” Granato said.

3. Clifton’s goal – a one-timer on the rush set up by Thompson – chased Red Wings starter Alex Lyon after he had allowed four goals on 13 shots. James Reimer stopped 23 of 26 shots in relief.

4. Peterka intercepted a puck in the neutral zone and buried a shot to the far side from the left faceoff circle for his 21st goal of the season, tied with Skinner for the team lead.

5. Luukkonen has now allowed three goals or fewer in 23 of his last 24 starts.

Up next

The homestand concludes Thursday against the New York Islanders. Tickets are available here.

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.