Detroit Red Wings ‘We weren’t prepared’ for pace against Sabres
Detroit Red Wings J.T. Compher, Emmitt Finnie, Alex DeBrincat & Todd McLellan, Oct. 22, 2025 in Buffalo, N.Y.
BUFFALO, NY — Coach Todd McLellan said before the trip began the Detroit Red Wings needed to play their game to be successful on the road.
They didn’t, and they weren’t.
From the get-go against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Wings looked like it was going to be a long night. Goalie John Gibson received little help from teammates as the Sabres commanded the ice at KeyBank Center. The Wings were outworked and outscored, losing, 4-2 to an Atlantic Division rival that had won just two of its first six games.
The loss ended the Wings’ winning streak at five. The Red Wings (5-2-0) won’t get much of a rest, either, with a road game against the New York Islanders on Thursday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit).
In Buffalo, goaltender Colton Ellis can forever remember that he won his debut NHL game. Among his highlights was a stellar save on Alex DeBrincat.
Gibson made 27 saves. Rookie Emmitt Finnie had a highlight when he scored his third goal of the season with 1:40 to play in th second period when he was in front of the net to redirect a feed from Dylan Larkin that made it 2-2. Jack Quinn scored on a screen during one of Buffalo’s five power plays to put the Sabres ahead at 4:15 of the third period and Josh Doan made it 4-2 four minutes later.
Penalties hold the Wings back
The Wings faced a goaltender in Ellis who was called upon to start after former Wings goalie Alex Lyon had done the duty in the first six games. But rather than storm the newbie, the Wings got into early penalty trouble, having to kill off infractions to Simon Edvinsson and James van Riemsdyk within the first five minutes, and that segued into a stretch where it was Gibson who saw most of the pucks. It wasn’t until past the halfway point of the first period before Ellis had to make a save, on a wrist shot from Jacob Bernard-Docker.
Even 1:42 on a power play spilling over to the second period wasn’t enough to get the Wings much in the way of scoring chances. But three minutes into the second period the Wings caught a bounce when Albert Johansson’s shot was blocked and J.T. Compher turned the rebound into his first goal and second point of the season.
Gibson had made 17 saves when the Sabres broke thorugh at 11:37 of the seocnd period on an odd-man rush, which ended with Jason Zucker flicking the puck into Detroit’s net. Tyson Kozak made it 2-1 at 16:28 when he outmuscled Axel Sandin Pellikka in the slot. That was the Sabres’ 25 shot on net; the Wings had 14.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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