Red Wings Rally For 3-1 Win over Sabres

The Detroit Red Wings trailed after the first period on Sunday but scored the game’s final three goals, rallying for a 3-1 win over the league-worst Buffalo Sabres.

Johan Franzen had a goal and an assist in the third period to help his team to the win.

Buffalo’s Cody Hodgson opened the game’s scoring at 7:47 of the first period. Darren Helm turned the puck over to Drew Stafford as he attempted to exit the Detroit zone and Stafford sent it down to Hodgson, who was all alone to draw out Red Wings’ netminder Jonas Gustavsson and stuff a shot around him from the side of the net.

Helm would make amends just thirty seconds into the second period, taking a pass from behind the net by Daniel Alfredsson and spinning in the slot to throw a backhander past Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, tying things up.

With 8:17 left in regulation and Detroit on a power play, Franzen threw a shot from the left faceoff circle on net. The puck deflected off defenseman Alexander Sulzer and past Miller to give the Red Wings the lead.

Franzen nearly iced the game in the closing minute but his shot towards the empty net from the left wing went off the post. He tracked down the puck, though, and worked it back out in front for Alfredsson to bury, finishing off the scoring.

Detroit finished the game one-for-three on the power play. The Sabres were scoreless on two tries with the man-advantage. Buffalo captain Steve Ott also missed on a second-period penalty shot.

Gustavsson, unbeaten in regulation this season, stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced. Miller made 31 saves on 33 shots.

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The Red Wings were without Pavel Datsyuk, who remained in Detroit after suffering a possible concussion in Saturday’s game against Ottawa… Daniel Alfredsson returned from his groin injury to take Datsyuk’s spot in the lineup. Alfredsson also wore the alternate captain’s A normally assigned to Datsyuk… The Sabres debuted their controversial new alternate jerseys for the game.