Buffalo — Tyler Bertuzzi made sure the Red Wings wouldn’t lose Saturday.
Bertuzzi scored two goals late in the third period to tie it, then fed Moritz Seider in overtime for Seider’s first NHL goal as the Red Wings rallied for a 4-3 victory in Buffalo.
Seider took Bertuzzi’s pass, drove to the net, and flipped a shot over goaltender Dustin Tokarski at 2 minutes, 45 seconds of overtime.
The Wings (5-5-2) ended a four-game winless streak.
BOX SCORE: Red Wings 4, Sabres 3 (OT)
“To dig in there late was huge, led by Tyler Bertuzzi,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He made sure we dug in and we found a way to come back and that’s big. I don’t know if he gets as much due all the time for as good a player he is. He’s made an impact on the games he’s played this season for sure, and tonight he made an impact.”
Suter had a goal and assist, and Lucas Raymond had three assists, as the Wings’ top line, along with Bertuzzi (two goals, two assists), made a huge impact.
Bertuzzi scored two goals just 1:30 apart late in the third period, forcing a 3-3 tie.
Bertuzzi cut the lead to 3-2 at 13 minutes, 24 seconds, one-timing a pass from Danny DeKeyser near the dot. Bertuzzi then tied the game at 14:54, taking a pass from Pius Suter and splitting through the Buffalo defense and slipping his eighth goal past Tokarski.
In overtime, Bertuzzi found Seider on a partial 2-on-1 rush and Seider earned the first goal of his career.
“I was just trying to protect the puck and take it toward the net,” Seider said. “I don’t know if the goalie was cheating short side, but I saw a little hole and luckily it went in.”
Ending the losing streak was huge for the Wings, who didn’t play well in the last two losses in Montreal and Boston.
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“It was real good to bounce back,” Seider said. “We had a couple of tough ones on the road, not a great performance in Montreal and Boston, so it was good to finish the trip strong and now get some points at home during the next four games.”
Said Blashill: “It was big. Every win in this league is big, but being down 3-1 after a number of losses in a row, and tough performances, you start to lose your confidence a little bit.”
Suter scored 16 seconds into the game, jamming a puck past Tokarski for his second goal this season.
But the Sabres stormed back, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin (power play) scoring 1:04 apart midway in the second period, erasing a 1-0 Wings’ lead. Arttu Ruotsalainen then made it 3-1 in the period.
Thompson scored his fourth, taking a drop back pass from Jeff Skinner, who skated just past the goal line and left a pass for Thompson trailing on the play.
A Joe Veleno holding penalty 32 seconds later put the Sabres on the power play.
And it didn’t take long for Buffalo to convert, with Dahlin getting the puck in the high slot, and whistling a shot that goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic didn’t see.
Nedeljkovic made a pair of good saves in the latter half of the second period to keep the Wings within a goal.
“Part of goaltending is finding ways to win hockey games and he (Nedeljkovic) found a way to dig in at the right moments and that’s what we need from him for sure,” Blashill said.
Ruotsalainen gave Buffalo a two-goal lead at 6:08 in the third period, outmuscling Marc Staal near the post and knocking a loose puck into the net, Ruotsalainen’s second goal.
But the Wings, behind Bertuzzi’s spark, roared back.
“He’s the type of guy who brings energy to the team,” Seider said. “That’s just what we needed at that moment.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan