Red Wings 3, Sabres 0 (First period)
The Red Wings scored two early power-play goals by Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond and added a late goal by Marco Kasper for a 3-0 lead after one period in Buffalo on Friday.
Postava backs up Gibson
Detroit Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot was a late scratch against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
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Talbot “tweaked” something before Thursday’s practice and didn’t practise with the team. The Wings recalled Michal Postava from Grand Rapids to possibly back up John Gibson.
Postava, in fact, is the back-up goalie tonight. He has a 13-6-0 record and a 1.86 goals against average and a .932 save percentage with the Griffins.
Czech goaltender Michal Postava recorded his first AHL shutout in the Grand Rapids Griffins’ 2-0 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Saturday.
More: Red Wings hope to duplicate Sabres’ charge toward ending playoff drought
Talbot participated in the morning skate Friday and said she should be ready to play when called upon.
“I just didn’t feel like it was smart to go on the ice (Thursday) and took a day off,” Talbot said. “I went out today and felt good. We’ll see how it responds.”
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The Wings head into tonight’s game three points out of the final wild-card spot with 11 games remaining.
Detroit goaltender Cam Talbot after a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens, at Little Caesars Arena, in Detroit, March 19, 2026.
Who starts in goal for the Sabres?
Former Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon got the start in goal for the Sabres, who are in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 44-20-8 record.
The 33-year-old goalie is 20-8-4 with a 2.64 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.
In two years in Detroit, Lyon was 35-27-6 with a 2.96 GAV and .901 save percentage.
How to watch, Red Wings vs. Sabres, Friday
▶ Faceoff: 7 p.m. Friday, KeyBank Center, Buffalo
▶ TV/radio: FDSN/97.1 FM
▶ Notable: The Wings (38-25-8, 84 points) visit division-leading Buffalo (44-20-8, 96 points). … The Sabres have won the two previous games against the Wings. … Buffalo is 7-1-2 in its last 10 games. … C Tage Thompson (36 goals, 74 points) is having a huge offensive season.
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How to watch, Red Wings vs. Flyers, Saturday
▶ Faceoff: 8 p.m. Saturday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
▶ TV/radio: ABC/97.1 FM
▶ Notable: Alex Bump, Christian Dvorak and Noah Coates each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers in a 5-1 win against the Blackhawks on Thursday. … Sean Couturier and Denver Barkley also scored, Owen Tippett had two assists and Samuel Ersson made 25 saves for the Flyers (35-24-12)
Griffins clinch Central Division title
The Grand Rapids Griffins clinched the Central Division title with a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
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Carter Mazur (Jackson) scored two goals, Axel Sandin-Pellikka picked up his first assist since being demoted from the Red Wings on Monday, former German forward Wojciech Stachowiak had a goal and two assists and goalie Carter Gylander made 28 saves to improve his record to 7-0-1.
It was the Griffins’ eighth division title in the franchise’s 30-year history, and their first since 2014-15.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Red Wings updates from Buffalo Sabres in NHL action