Alex DeBrincat did it all for the Red Wings in their third preseason contest, picking up a fighting major and later scoring the overtime game-winner against Buffalo.
It may have only been an exhibition contest, but Thursday evening's tilt between the Detroit Red Wings and the divisional rival Buffalo Sabres had a playoff-like intensity to it.
Multiple skirmishes broke out, including a bout featuring Red Wings sniper Alex DeBrincat against Buffalo's Trevor Kuntar. All in all, it was the Red Wings and DeBrincat who got the last laugh.
DeBrincat's power-played goal at 33 seconds of overtime gave the Red Wings a 3-2 victory, improving their preseason record to 2-0-1 with one game remaining.
It was the Sabres who got the scoring started courtesy of Kuntar, who took advantage of a defensive miscue midway through the opening period and beat goaltender Daniil Tarasov with a quick snapshot past the glove.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka responded with a power-play goal for his second tally in as many games, knotting the score at 1-1; Anton Johansson picked up his fifth assist in two games.
Buffalo then re-took the lead early in the second period after Jiri Kulich's shot on a two-on-one rush squeaked through Tarasov, barely crossing the goal line.
Early in the third period, an on-ice melee broke out after Detroit’s Moritz Seider leveled Kuntar; DeBrincat soon dropped the gloves with him, landing multiple punches and continuing to go after Kuntar even after referee Mike Sullivan attempted to separate the two.
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Detroit tied the game just before the halfway point of the third period when Sheldon Dries redirected Jacob Bryson’s shot past goaltender Colton Ellis. Ellis had replaced former Red Wings netminder Alex Lyon in the first period after Lyon left the game with an injury.
Buffalo’s Gavin McCarthy was called for holding at 18:41 of the third period, setting the stage for DeBrincat’s overtime winner.
Tarasov played the entire game for the Red Wings, making 17 saves on 19 shots.
Before leaving the game, Lyon, who spent two seasons in Detroit from 2023 through 2025, stopped seven of the eight shots he faced. Ellis finished with 16 saves on 18 shots.
The Red Wings will conclude the exhibition portion of their schedule on Saturday evening against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets at Little Caesars Arena.
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