BUFFALO, N.Y. _ Jimmy Howard continued to do what he has done this season: Give his teammates a chance to win.
His effort lasted through to a shootout, which saw Thomas Vanek and Gustav Nyquist convert to secure a much-needed 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres Wednesday at KeyBank Center. It the Wings' first victory in five games.
Nyquist scored for the first time in 14 games off a nifty set-up from Vanek, but the Sabres tied the game early in the third period.
Anthony Mantha had a great chance early in overtime when he raced away off a faceoff, but couldn't get the puck up and over Robin Lehner's pads. Howard made a glove save on Rasmus Ristolainen and then denied Ristolainen again when he went around Mantha to drive the puck on net.
In the shootout, Howard showed patience to make the save on Kyle Okposo. Nyquist snuck in a backhand but so did Sam Reinhart. Vanek sent the puck top shelf, and Howard denied Cal O'Reilly for the victory. Howard finished with 32 saves.
Considering the desperate state the Wings were in, they didn't play like it when the game started. Justin Abdelkader got an early shot on Lehner but then came a stretch that saw the Wings unable to establish any attack. Abdelkader just missed finishing a great chance when a rebound lay loose in the paint and he was inches away. Brendan Smith lost the puck in his own zone, forcing a big save from Howard. The Wings had some decent stretches of possession here and there, but it was mostly Howard who had his hands full because his teammates committed so many turnovers.
Vanek compounded a hooking call late in the period by adding one for unsportsmanlike conduct, setting the Sabres up with 3:19 on a power play to start the second period.
Howard made a stop on Okposo as the power play ended and then got a little help when Sam Reinhart hit a goal post. A Wings power play necessitated another save from Howard, while Tomas Tatar had the best chances on Lehner. A second power play saw more good chances, with Mike Green directing a slap shot and Mantha setting up net-front, but the Wings had no puck luck. The Wings got seven shots on net total on their two power plays.
Abdelkader was denied another attempt when he poked away at a loose puck right in front of Lehner. The Wings finally got on the board at the 16-minute mark. Vanek got a nice pass from Ryan Sproul, took it up the right side before spinning and sending the puck onto the stick of Nyquist, who didn't hesitate in picking up his fourth goal of the season.
Howard opened the third period by denying Ryan O'Reilly on a tip-in try. The Sabres made it 1-1 when Evander Kane fended off Jonathan Ericsson to throw the puck on net, and Brian Gionta drove to the net just in time to deflect the rebound. The Wings challenged goaltender interference as Gionta bumped Howard, but the goal stood after review showed it was after the puck crossed the goal line. Howard followed up with a pad save on a William Carrier wrap-around attempt.
Vanek shot the puck just wide on a setup by Dylan Larkin as the Wings tried to double up. Howard kept the game tied when he stacked his pads on an O'Reilly slap shot. Howard came up with another save on O'Reilly on a late backhand attempt. The Wings got icky when Matt Mouls threw a puck that hit a post, and then Riley Sheahan saved a loose puck from going over in as Howard had slid out of his crease. Howard finished regulation with 29 saves.
