The Sabres douse the Red Wings

Byram's wrister keeps the champions' fire burning

Champions on the shelf

The Buffalo Sabres came into the Round of 16 carrying a crown. They shared the Gauntlet in 2023-24, and their candle was still lit after they snuffed the Panthers on qualification night. The Detroit Red Wings brought a score of their own to settle. The Islanders ended Detroit's run on qualification night a season ago, and this time the Red Wings beat them. This was a real game at KeyBank Center, with one rule: lose and your flame goes dark. Only 15 would still burn when it was over.

Thompson strikes, Detroit answers

Buffalo hit first. Marco Kasper went off for hooking, and Jason Zucker made him pay with a power-play wrist shot at 4:04. Tage Thompson made it two with a slap shot at 12:00. Alex DeBrincat answered with a slapper of his own at 14:43. Early in the 2nd, Thompson buried a wrist shot at 3:20, and just 0:31 later Michael Rasmussen backhanded one in for Detroit. Then J.T. Compher sat for cross checking and the Red Wings tied it anyway: Lucas Raymond scored short-handed and unassisted at 11:02. Three apiece.

A defenseman settles it

At 15:54 of the 2nd, Bowen Byram took feeds from Owen Power and Dylan Cozens and snapped home a wrist shot. It held up as the winner. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 22 of 25, and nobody scored for 23:18 until Jack Quinn found the empty net at 19:12 of the 3rd. Alex Lyon made 34 saves for Detroit, but the Red Wings' candle went cold.