The Detroit Red Wings took on the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night in a must-win contest for Detroit. The Red Wings have fallen behind the pace in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. They could not afford another loss, especially to a division rival. Veteran forward Alex DeBrincat ensured the team would come away with the two points.
“Cat” scored the opening goal for the Red Wings on Friday. He would also go on to provide assists on both of Detroit's goals in the third period. The Red Wings skated to a 5-2 win over the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres. And they are now one point out of a playoff spot.
This game was a notable one of DeBrincat, as well. He recorded his 10th three-point game of the season on Friday night. As a result, he became the third Detroit skater in the last 30 years to record 10 three-point games in a single season. He joined Pavel Datsyuk and Sergei Fedorov in this exclusive club, according to NHL Public Relations.
DeBrincat is in the midst of his third season with his hometown team. And this is proving to be the best season of his career. After beating the Sabres, the veteran forward has 36 goals and 77 points in 72 games. He is on track to record his first career 80+ point campaign, as well as his third career 40+ goal campaign.
It's hard to overstate DeBrincat's importance to the Red Wings at this time. He is leading the charge as they look to snap their postseason drought. With 10 games left, Detroit will need more performances like this if it wants to claim a Wild Card spot in the East.
