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Henrik Zetterberg's 3rd-period hat trick lifts Red Wings to 6-4 victory over Buffalo

Sunday, 01.18.2015 / 11:05 PM / News

The Canadian Press

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Henrik Zetterberg's 3rd-period hat trick lifts Red Wings to 6-4 victory over Buffalo

DETROIT - Henrik Zetterberg scored three goals in the third period to cap an impressive Detroit comeback, lifting the Red Wings to a 6-4 victory over Buffalo on Sunday night — the Sabres' 11th consecutive loss.

It was the sixth career hat trick for the Detroit captain, and it came after the Red Wings wiped out an early three-goal deficit against the struggling Sabres. Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek was replaced after allowing three goals on seven shots, but Buffalo barely put any pressure on the Red Wings after that.

Tom McCollum, who came in for Mrazek, was credited with only seven saves in over 46 minutes of action.

Tyler Ennis scored twice for the Sabres, including a goal in the third period that made it 5-4, but Zetterberg answered with his third goal of the period.

All 11 of Buffalo's defeats during this skid have been in regulation. The last time a team lost 11 in a row, all in regulation, was when Pittsburgh dropped 13 straight from Jan. 13-Feb. 12, 2004, according to STATS.

Drew Stafford opened the scoring for Buffalo early in the first, and Ennis made it 2-0 when his shot from a severe angle to the right of the net slipped past Mrazek, who was starting in place of the injured Jimmy Howard.

Mrazek was pulled after Chris Stewart's goal with 6:23 left in the period, and it was still 3-0 after one.

Buffalo wasn't credited with a shot on goal in the second until the period was more than half over. By then, Gustav Nyquist, Drew Miller and Tomas Tatar had scored for Detroit to tie the game.

Zetterberg went to work early in the third, knocking in a rebound while the Red Wings had an extra skater on the ice during a delayed penalty on Buffalo. He added a power-play goal to make it 5-3, and after Ennis scored for the Sabres, Zetterberg completed his hat trick, beating Buffalo goalie Jhonas Enroth from near the right faceoff dot with 8:01 remaining.

Enroth had 20 saves. The Sabres did not pull their goalie at the end of the game while facing a two-goal deficit.

NOTE: Howard has been out with a groin injury, and Detroit was also without D Jakub Kindl (elbow), RW Tomas Jurco (back), G Jonas Gustavsson (shoulder) and RW Johan Franzen (head). . Buffalo was missing D Mike Weber (lower body), C Brian Gionta (head), RW Cody McCormick (blood clot in leg) and LW Marcus Foligno (hand). . Sabres D Tyson Strachan was helped off the ice after a shot appeared to catch him in the side of the face immediately before Nyquist's goal.

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