The Detroit Red Wings, on a five-game winning streak, face the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at KeyBank Center. Detroit aims to extend its strong start against a Sabres team that has won two of its last three games. Colten Ellis is set to make his NHL debut in net for Buffalo.
The Detroit Red Wings (5-1-0) enter their road game against the Buffalo Sabres (2-4-0) riding high after a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 19, where captain Dylan Larkin and rookie Emmitt Finnie each scored two goals. The game, set for 7:30 p.m. ET at KeyBank Center, marks the start of Detroit's first back-to-back set of the season. Broadcast options include TNT and HBO Max.
Detroit's success has been driven by Larkin, who leads the team with 11 points (five goals, six assists) and was named the NHL's First Star of the Week after tallying nine points in his last four games. He is on a six-game point streak to open the season. Finnie, a seventh-round pick in 2023, has five points (two goals, three assists) while playing on Larkin's wing, with the duo outscoring opponents 7-1 at 5-on-5. Lucas Raymond returns to the lineup after missing three games with an injury, joining Finnie and Larkin on the top line.
The Sabres, coming off a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, have shown improvement with wins over Ottawa and Florida following an 0-3 start. Zach Benson leads Buffalo with six assists, extending a three-game point streak that includes a career-high seven shots and an assist against Montreal. He is one of three players in franchise history with six or more assists in his first three games of a season.
In net, 25-year-old Colten Ellis will make his first NHL start for Buffalo after being claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 6. "Something I’ve worked for my whole life, so there’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into this moment," Ellis said. Backup Alex Lyon has posted a 2.55 goals-against average and .924 save percentage with one shutout in six games. For Detroit, projected starters are John Gibson or Cam Talbot.
Last season, Detroit won three of four matchups against Buffalo, outscoring them in key games like a 7-3 victory on March 12, 2025. Both teams boast strong penalty kills over 90 percent, with Detroit's power play at 22.2 percent and Buffalo's at 26.3 percent.
Injuries impact both sides: Detroit's Patrick Kane is out with an upper-body injury for at least the next two games, while Buffalo lists several players sidelined, including Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) and Jordan Greenway (middle body). Red Wings coach Todd McLellan emphasized the need for a group effort on the power play in Kane's absence, with Marco Kasper filling in on the top unit.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff noted the challenge of facing Detroit's hot start, while Moritz Seider highlighted the need to contain Buffalo's threats like Tage Thompson, who has 23 points in 19 career games against the Red Wings.