Skinner scores twice as Sabres defeat Red Wings

Jeff Skinner scored twice to reach the 40-goal mark and the Buffalo Sabres closed out their season with a 7-1 thumping of the host Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Rasmus Dahlin supplied a goal and an assist. Sam Reinhart, Conor Sheary, Zemgus Girgensons and Brandon Montour also scored for the Sabres (33-39-10). Linus Ullmark made 23 saves.

Skinner reached the 40-goal mark for the first time in his nine-year career. He also had 32 even-strength goals this season. That gave him the most even-strength goals by a Sabre since Alexander Mogilny (49) in the 1992-93 season. Anthony Mantha scored for Detroit (32-40-10).

Wings goalie Jimmy Howard was pulled in the second period after giving up five goals. He made 21 saves. Buffalo led 2-1 after one period.

Jack Eichel made a pass from behind the goal to Reinhart in front. Reinhart then slid it past Howard for his 22nd goal this season. Dahlin made it 2-0 on the power play off a pass from Rasmus Ristolainen. Dahlin beat a screened Howard on the far side.

Mantha scored in the slot to get the Red Wings on the board. His power-play tally came off a pass from the point by Andreas Athanasiou. Filip Hronek also had an assist on Mantha's 25th goal. The Sabres stretched the advantage to 5-1 in the second period.

The Sabres regained a two-goal advantage when Sheary redirected Casey Nelson's shot from the point. Scott Wilson also picked up an assist on Sheary's 14th goal, which came at the 8:37 mark. Skinner scored an unassisted goal just under three minutes later.

Girgensons took advantage of a Red Wings giveaway to score his fifth goal. Jason Pominville made the assist at the 12:47 mark. Skinner scored a wrister from the right circle for his second goal of the night at the 10:27 mark of the third. Dahlin had the assist.

Montour scored a power-play goal just over a minute later. Ristolainen and Kyle Okposo collected the assists. Buffalo won the season series 3-1.

--Field Level Media

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