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These are the types of mental lapses and defensive breakdowns that the Detroit Red Wings are so badly trying to put behind them as they work toward ending their Stanley Cup Playoff drought, which is currently the second longest in the NHL.

Coincidently, they faced the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night, who own the League's longest current drought.

And while the Red Wings built up a 4-1 lead midway through the second period and appeared well on their way to a second straight win, the Sabres once again gave them a tough lesson as to why no opponent is to be underestimated.

Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson scored the game-winning goal at 1:05 of overtime, capping a four-goal comeback effort for the Sabres as part of their 5-4 win, stunning the Red Wings.

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The Red Wings appeared to be well in command of the Sabres thanks to a pair of goals from Alex DeBrincat and another tally from Dylan Larkin in the game's middle frame, stretching their lead to three goals. Both teams traded goals in the opening period courtesy of Patrick Kane and Alex Tuch. 

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But the Sabres began their comeback effort when Josh Doan re-directed a shot past Red Wings goaltender John Gibson late in the second period, followed by Red Wings killer Tage Thompson scoring a coast-to-coast goal at just 4:25 of the third. 

The Red Wings had a prime chance to restore their two-goal lead with a power-play chance, but a turnover at their own blue line resulted in a shorthanded breakaway opportunity for Ryan McLeod, which he converted on. 

The Red Wings also weren't able to take advantage of a power-play late in the third period after the Sabres were whistled for too many men on the ice. 

Gibson allowed five goals on 27 shots, while Sabres rookie Colten Ellis picked up his second NHL victory by making 24 saves on 28 shots. It was Ellis who picked up his first career NHL win in his inaugural start against the Red Wings in October. 

The Red Wings will have to regroup in a hurry, as they now travel to Madison Square Garden for a matchup against the New York Rangers, who defeated them at Little Caesars Arena last week. 

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Anton Forsberg returned to Ottawa for the first time on Saturday night and not only defeated his former team — he shut them out. Forsberg, who spent five seasons with the Senators, stopped all 17 shots as the Los Angeles Kings blanked Ottawa 1-0 at Canadian Tire Centre.

It's only the second time since October 21 that the Sens have lost a game in regulation, and the 1-0 loss was a far cry from the hockey we witnessed when the Kings visited early in the season last year. The Senators won that wild afternoon game, 8-7 in overtime.

While Forsberg wasn't crazy busy, he did hold off a late third-period push by the Senators, which included a clear Ridly Greig breakaway and a 6 on 4 in the final couple of minutes. He got a nice ovation from Ottawa fans after a video tribute during a timeout.

Forsberg waved to the crowd and put his trapper to his heart to say thank you for his time here. After the Senators opted to go with the less expensive and younger Leevi Merilainen this season, Forsberg left in free agency over the summer, signing a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Kings.

Linus Ullmark wasn't much busier, facing just 18 shots, but the Kings got the one available good bounce in a tight defensive chess match. Alex Laferriere’s deflection in the first period, off what looked like a harmless point shot, was the only puck to beat Ullmark on the night.

"That was a hard-fought, hard-played game by both teams," Head coach Travis Green told the media. "Not a lot of space out there either way. Probably unfortunate that we didn't get a point tonight."

While Green felt like the Senators could have done a little better job getting pucks to the net from the outside, it's easier said than done against a good shot-blocking team like the Kings. But he felt like the Sens created more opportunities than the Kings did.

"The chances are probably 2 to 1 for us. I think we spent twice as much time in the offensive zone as the. It was a pretty good game."

The victory may have come at a cost for the Kings, who lost Drew Doughty when he took a shot off the top of his skate and left the game.

This was the Senators' final home game until December 4th. They begin a seven-game road trip on Thursday night against the Anaheim Ducks.

What has Gabe Perreault shown in his first two games with the New York Rangers since being called up? 

Well, the Rangers brought him up from the American Hockey League to provide an offensive spark, and he’s certainly shown some impressive offensive traits. 

Playing on a line alongside Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, Perreault has held his own, while he’s also contributing on the power play. 

You can see the talent is there with Perreault, but we just don't have him completely have a command of the game the same way as he did in the AHL or at the NCAA level. 

The 20-year-old is still adapting to the pace of play in the NHL. 

“We've seen some really good things he's done. Obviously he's got real good offensive instincts, sees the play really well,” Sullivan said of Perreault. “He thinks the game on a high level. I think where his opportunity for growth and improvement is really just strength on the puck and a little bit of quickness. And I think they go hand in hand. 

“As a young player, it's just physical maturity. The speed of the game and the size and the strength of the players at this level is second to none. For most young players, that's one of the challenges in making the jump to being an impact player at this level.”

Explaining Mike Sullivan's Cautious Approach With Gabe PerreaultIn the second period of the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a>’ 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night, Mike Sullivan moved Will Cuylle up to play with Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, while moving Gabe Perreault down on the third line with Noah Laba and Conor Sheary.

Sullivan has been taking a cautious approach with Perreault. The 20-year-old forward is averaging 13:26 minutes over his two games with the Rangers. 

While Sullivan voiced the importance of giving Perreault a top-six role, he’s also put Perreault on the team’s third line with Noah Laba and Conor Sheary in order not to overwhelm the young forward with defensive responsibilities he may not be fully prepared for given his lack of NHL experience.

The Florida Panthers welcomed their oldest and most bitter rival to Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.

In what was a tightly contested and contentious battle, the Panthers ultimately couldn’t generate enough offense and fell to the Lightning by a final score of 3-1.

Tampa got on the board first thanks to a perfect shot off the stick of Emil Lilleberg.

Right off an offensive zone draw won by Brayden Point, Lilberg wired a wrist shot that went over the blocker of Sergei Bobrovsky and underneath the crossbar to give the Bolts a 1-0 lead 12:19 into the game.

It took a while, but Florida eventually found a way to get the game back to even.

With Zemgus Girgensons in the penalty box for charging Mackie Samoskevich, Florida scored right off the ensuing faceoff.

As a horde of players came together at the dot, Sam Reinhart found the puck at his skates and wisely kicked it to the tape of Brad Marchand, who went in alone on Andrei Vasilevskiy and wired a backhand that went off the post and in with 8:29 to go in the middle frame.

Tampa’s Jack Finley scored his first career goal early in the third period to put the Bolts back in front.

On what appeared to be a routine zone clear, the puck bounced through the neutral zone and right to Finley, who went in all alone on Bobrovsky after Dominic Sebrango lost his footing in the neutral zone trying to check Finley.

The Lightning would add an empty net goal with just under a minute to go, sealing the victory for the visitors.

On to the Canucks.

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Photo caption: Mar 3, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) moves the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) during the first period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)