BUFFALO, N.Y. _ The Detroit Red Wings began their fathers trip with a dud.
After largely playing well for more than a month, their excursion Saturday at KeyBank Center disappointed. They started decently but couldn't find the back of the net, and the last two periods they looked sloppy. It ended with a 3-1 loss.
The Sabres came into the game having lost three of their previous four games. They are 9-14-5 since winning 10 straight games in November.
The game was the first on a three-stop trip during which the Wings have brought along their fathers or other male family members, or in a few cases, a friend. Other than Dylan Larkin scoring his 23rd goal of the season, there was little to cheer.
Andreas Athanasiou had a wide-open chance with about eight minutes to go in regulation, his second such of the game, but he's been snake bit the past couple games. The Wings went on a power play with 7:40 to play but never got set up, never sustained any pressure.
The Wings tested Linus Ullmark early and often, but the chances weren't particularly threatening. Anthony Mantha tried a slap shot from the blue line but Ullmark saw the puck the whole way. Darren Helm had a two-on-one denied. The Wings earned a power play at 11:19 when Sam Reinhart slashed Christoffer Ehn. Gustav Nyquist had the puck in the left circle but made a bad read and ended up turning over the puck. Jimmy Howard made a good save on a Kyle Okposo tip-in attempt and got help from his crossbar when Casey Mittelstadt broke in from the left side, but only ended up making four saves in the first period. The Wings had 12 shots.
Two Wings skaters in particular did not look good as the Sabres took a 1-0 lead 1:15 into the second period. Justin Abdelkader turned over the puck and Conor Sheary cut towards the high slot in Detroit's zone, firing a shot through the legs of Mike Green to beat Howard. Mittelstadt converted on a power play at 10:05, connecting on a pass from Jack Eichel, to put the Wings down by two. Okposo scored during Buffalo's second power play, with 31 seconds to go in the second period.
The Wings had been outshot, 11-3, in the second period when they went on a power play after Jeff Skinner was called for high-sticking Andreas Athanasiou. Larkin converted when he took a pass from Thomas Vanek, skated behind Buffalo's net and flipped the puck in on a wrap-around. That extended Vanek's point streak to four games. Since scoring two goals against his former team Jan. 12 at Minnesota, Vanek has four goals and six assists in nine games.
