The Detroit Red Wings are on fire to begin the 2025-26 season. Detroit defeated the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday to give them their fifth win in a row. Now, they are on the road against the Buffalo Sabres seeking a sixth straight win. It took a while, but Detroit forward JT Compher opened the scoring with a rather nifty move.

Detroit had the puck in the offensive zone. Jonatan Berggren fired a shot on net that was turned aside. This rebound came out to the end boards, where it was picked up by Albert Johansson. He fired a shot on goal, but before Sabres goalie Colten Ellis could control the rebound, Compher pulled off a slick move to fire the puck into the net.

This goal began a flurry of markers in the second period. Buffalo took a 2-1 lead in the middle frame thanks to Jason Zucker and Tyson Kozak. However, the Red Wings tied it before intermission. Rookie Emmitt Finnie scored his third of the season to make it a 2-2 game.

Red Wings, Sabres both motivated to win Wednesday

Article Continues Below
Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at Little Caesars Arena.
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Red Wings and Sabres are both looking to pick up two points on Wednesday. However, their reasons are a bit different. Buffalo is hoping to regain a bit of confidence after a rough start. They have played better lately, picking up two big wins over the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. However, they are trying to avoid the slow starts that have plagued them for so long.

Meanwhile, Detroit is looking to keep its hot start going. They lost their first game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens earlier this month. Head coach Todd McLellan called his team out after that poor outing. Since then, they've responded with five straight wins. And they want to keep this going with seven of their next eight games coming on the road.

The Red Wings and Sabres are even stevens through two periods. Compher's early goal opened the scoring, but one team needs to pull away. It will certainly be interesting to see which team can pull ahead in the final period of play.