 have by far the worst record in the NHL. They actually came in with a modest two-game winning streak, but Detroit couldn't overcome its poor start in this one.Buffalo scored at even strength, on the power play and while short-handed in the first. Rodrigues opened the scoring from the slot at 2:39. He added another goal on the power play when he jammed at the puck from the left doorstep and it popped past Howard's stick and in.Girgensons scored short-handed after Detroit's Robby Fabbri went sprawling to the ice trying to keep an errant pass inside the blue line. Girgensons skated to the loose puck and went the other way on a breakaway.Bowey beat Ullmark with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle in the second period.Bogosian restored Buffalo's three-goal advantage when he scored his first goal of the season with 17:25 left in the third. Ristolainen added a power-play goal 65 seconds later.NOTES: The Sabres now have wins in five straight visits to Detroit. It's the second time in franchise history they've done that. They also had a five-game streak from Oct. 25, 1979 to Dec. 12, 1981.UP NEXTSabres: Host Vegas on Tuesday night.Red Wings: At New York Islanders on Tuesday night.---Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister---More NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Jonathan Bernier has emerged as the No. 1 goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings. With steady playing time, Bernier has made the Red Wings a tougher team to beat.Detroit, which has the NHL's worst record, carries a three-game home winning streak into its matchup with the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.Bernier, who was sharing playing time with Jimmy Howard earlier in the season, has patrolled the nets in each of those victories.Bernier made several tough saves in the third period and overtime against Ottawa on Friday to keep the game tied. He didn't allow a goal during the shootout, lifting the Red Wings to a 3-2 victory."We've just built from him out, confidence in our team." first line center Dylan Larkin said. "He's done a great job. He's really been a calming factor back there. He's made the saves he's had to. He's been great for us. He's been everything, I think." Bernier has a 10-12-2 record with an improving .904 save percentage. He's started five of the last six games, recording a .936 save percentage and the team's lone shutout win, when he turned aside 34 shots versus San Jose on New Year's Eve.Bernier had a 9-18-5 mark last season after signing a three-year contract with Detroit."The numbers say he is a better goalie when he plays more. That's just the history of it," coach Jeff Blashill said. "I would probably say that's true of lots of guys. It's easier to get in a groove, it's easier to kind of keep rolling with it, so he's done a good job."He had a tough start to his time here in Detroit last season, the beginning of this season, neither one were probably what he wanted. The thing about him is he keeps a positive attitude, he keeps digging in and he works. I think that work's paying off." Larkin carries a five-game point streak into Sunday's contest. Larkin scored a power-play goal on an end-to-end rush on Friday, then had the only goal during the shootout on Friday.Buffalo won the first of four meetings with Detroit this season on Oct. 25, as Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark made 41 saves in a 2-0 victory. The teams will play twice more in February.The Sabres enter Sunday's contest on a six-game road winless streak and are playing on the latter end of a back-to-back set.Buffalo will bid to bounce back from a 6-3 home loss to Vancouver on Saturday afternoon. The Canucks scored four times in the final period."It was a hell of a hockey game until 14 minutes to go and we turned it into a very, very painful, unacceptable finish." Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. "We really have to put a mirror in front of our faces and figure out why we gave up on what is our game." The Sabres have won just three of their last 12 games (3-8-1) to fall to the NHL's version of .500."It's very frustrating right now for all of us," Krueger said. "We don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves." --Field Level Media
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