The Detroit Red Wings are due to break out, and the Buffalo Sabres are just trying to hang on.
Out to end the frustrations that have come with a six-game losing streak, the Red Wings look to extend their home mastery of the injury-ravaged Sabres on Tuesday night (7 p.m. pregame, 7:30 face-off on FOX Sports Detroit).
Detroit (17-8-9) has gotten four points via shootout losses during its skid, but it hasn't lost seven straight since Nov. 4-19, 2013. The Red Wings' lack of scoring again led to their downfall Sunday in a 2-1 shootout defeat to Colorado, leaving them with six goals during their losing streak.
"We need to find a way to score goals," coach Mike Babcock said. "We had lots of opportunities and didn't finish. We need to find a way to get the second point. Two adds up better than one."
Babcock did his part, changing lines to put stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg together, and the pair clicked on a power play early in the third period as Zetterberg set up Datsyuk for his 13th goal. While the scoring chances were there - Detroit outshot Colorado 35-23 - the results were not.
"I think we created 35 shots," said Zetterberg, who has one goal and seven assists in 13 career games against Buffalo. "There's a lot of chances that we thought the puck was going in but (Calvin Pickard) came up and made the saves."
Detroit has gone 0-1-4 in its last five at home - its longest run of futility at Joe Louis Arena since going 0-2-6 from Oct. 21-Nov. 19, 2013. Playing the Sabres in Hockeytown, though, usually results in a positive outcome.
The Red Wings have won five straight at home over Buffalo and are 13-0-1 since their last regulation loss to the Sabres in Detroit - a 3-2 defeat March 6, 1994.
Buffalo (13-18-3) suffered its third straight loss with a 4-3 overtime defeat at Boston on Sunday, while injuries and the flu have taken a toll. The Sabres played without Tyler Myers, Cody McCormick, Torrey Mitchell, Tyson Strachan, Mike Weber, Matt Moulson and Patrick Kaleta before losing Brian Gionta and Marcus Foligno to injuries, forcing coach Ted Nolan to play with three lines for most of the game.
"I thought they really held their own," Nolan told the team's official website. "We got stronger going down to three lines and one extra guy. It hurts. We could've had two points. You couldn't not be happy with the effort. The only thing you're disappointed with is the outcome."
Foligno will not play this game after getting injured fighting Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski, whose collision with Gionta resulted in the veteran leaving with a head injury.
There is a chance Moulson - fourth on the team with 15 points - and Kaleta could return for this contest, but it's uncertain who will be in goal since Michal Neuvirth is still dealing with flu-like symptoms.
Jhonas Enroth, who made 33 saves Sunday, is 0-1-0 in two appearances against Detroit and hasn't faced the Red Wings since stopping all 12 shots he faced in a relief appearance Jan. 16, 2012. Neuvirth is 2-1-1 with a 3.10 goals-against average against the Wings and turned aside 36 shots in a 3-2 shootout victory Nov. 2. He denied Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist in the tiebreaker.
The Sabres are winless in their last four on the road and have struggled on the penalty kill there at 69.8 percent, yielding 16 goals in 53 opportunities.
