(Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

The Detroit Red Wings scored three goals in the first period and went on to a 5-2 win over the host Buffalo Sabres on Friday night to keep pace in the wild-card race in the Eastern Conference.

The Red Wings (39-25-8, 86 points) are one point behind the New York Islanders for the final wild-card spot with a game in hand.

Alex DeBrincat had a goal and two assists and Patrick Kane a goal and an assist while Lucas Raymond, Marco Kasper and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker also scored for the Red Wings, who snapped a two-game skid. Defenseman Moritz Seider had two assists and John Gibson made 28 saves.

Tage Thompson and captain and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin picked up the goals for the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres (44-21-8, 96 points), who lost their third straight (0-1-2). Alex Lyon stopped 15 shots.

Detroit's first two tallies came on the power play.

DeBrincat opened the scoring at 4:02, only five seconds after Josh Norris went off for high-sticking, when DeBrincat chipped in the rebound of his own tip attempt. The goal extended DeBrincat's point streak to eight games (three goals, 11 assists).

Raymond made it 2-0 at 9:11 with a snap shot from the left circle on which he looked to his right. Seider leapt to keep the puck in at the right point and passed to Raymond.

Kasper scored with 3:54 left in the opening period. After Lyon had stopped two shots by Emmitt Finnie, Kasper put in a turnaround shot from low in the right circle.

Gibson made a spectacular save on Dahlin, who was in the slot, despite being prone in the crease with a little over five minutes remaining in the first. Gibson kicked up his left pad to make the stop.

Thompson got the only goal of the second period, which came at 5:35. He hammered home a one-time slap shot from the inside edge of the left circle. It was Thompson's 400th career point.

Buffalo had a 12-3 shots advantage in the middle period.

Bernard-Docker made it 4-1 with 4:14 left when he scored off the rush from the high slot for his first goal.

Dahlin scored off a goal-mouth scramble 39 seconds later.

Kane clinched it with an empty-net tally with 1:43 left.

--Field Level Media