The Buffalo Sabres overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 in overtime on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena. The win ended a losing streak and marked the first time since November 2018 that the Sabres have won a game after trailing by three goals.
Tage Thompson played a key role in the comeback, making an aggressive play in overtime that led to the winning goal. Instead of falling back on defense during the 3-on-3 period, Thompson regained possession from Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat and set up Mattias Samuelsson for the decisive shot past goalie John Gibson.
“I think it was just desperation,” Thompson said. “We’ve been in a lot of overtime games and been on the other side of it. Loose puck there, and if I get that puck, then we’ve got a really good look.”
Coach Lindy Ruff commented on his message to the team as they faced a significant deficit: “Our desperation has to be greater than theirs if we’re going to get back. This isn’t screaming and yelling at each other, it’s about, we’ve got to do it for each other. And I thought the guys went out and did a hell of a job.”
The rally began late in the second period when Josh Doan redirected Rasmus Dahlin’s point shot for his fifth goal of the season. Early in the third period, Thompson scored again after carrying the puck from his own zone and beating Gibson at close range.
“We’ve been losing a lot of games, and it’s frustrating, and we know no one’s gonna sit there and feel sorry for us,” Thompson said. “I think we just tried to impose our will there and knew that if we got one early, put them on their heels a little bit, we could get some momentum rolling. And we did.”
Samuelsson credited Thompson’s effort with energizing the team: “… He was a dog tonight; glad we’ve got him on our side.”
Buffalo had previously attempted comebacks against Carolina and Colorado but fell short until this game. Ryan McLeod contributed with a shorthanded breakaway goal after intercepting the puck at his defensive blue line.
“He wasn’t even supposed to be out there,” Ruff said about McLeod’s shift change with Jordan Greenway. “(Jordan) Greenway was going, but I guess McLeod called him off. So, I said, ‘McLeod’s not supposed to be out there!’ And then we got the breakaway, I said, ‘It might be okay.’”
The Sabres’ penalty kill unit also played an important role late in regulation after being called for too many men on the ice with less than three minutes remaining—a call Ruff described as “one of the worst calls I’ve seen.” Goalie Colten Ellis made two saves during that penalty kill as part of his 24-save performance.
“The desperation to kill that, that blocked shot… There was a lot of pieces that went into winning that game,” Ruff added.
Rasmus Dahlin returned to action after missing three games due to personal leave in Sweden. He skated over 25 minutes and recorded two assists.
“It’s a big loss when our captain and our best player is out of the lineup,” Thompson said regarding Dahlin’s absence earlier in the week. “He’s an impact player, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence we got the job done tonight with him.”
Defenseman Michael Kesselring left early in the third period with what appeared to be a lower-body injury following strong play alongside Owen Power.
“He wasn’t able to come back,” Ruff noted about Kesselring’s status post-injury. “… My initial thoughts: it doesn’t look good.”
During their time together on ice before Kesselring exited, Buffalo held advantages in shot attempts (15-5), shots on goal (7-3), and scoring chances (11-0).
The Sabres return home Monday night for four consecutive games at KeyBank Center starting against Edmonton.
