DETROIT – Tage Thompson smelled blood in the water and an opportunity to get the Buffalo Sabres back in the win column. So, instead of curling back to defend in the 3-on-3 overtime, he followed his shot, checked the Detroit Red Wings’ Alex DeBrincat – almost “through the end of the rink,” in coach Lindy Ruff’s words – and regained possession.

First it was Rasmus Dahlin. He flew from Sweden to Detroit on Friday for this game after taking a one-week leave of absence to spend time with his fiancee, who is still recovering from a heart transplant she received earlier this year. Dahlin said everything is going well, and he was able to come back in a much better headspace than when he left.

BOTTOM LINE: The Edmonton Oilers visit the Buffalo Sabres after the Sabres defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. Buffalo has a 6-8-4 record overall and a 5-3-2 record on its home ice. The Sabres have a -14 scoring differential, with 50 total goals scored and 64 given up.

Josh Doan and Thompson each had a goal and an assist, and Alex Tuch and Ryan McLeod scored for Buffalo (6-8-4), which was 0-4-1 during its skid and won its first road game of the season (1-5-2). Colten Ellis made 24 saves and picked up his first NHL point with a third-period assist.

They now host a Sabres team that has been rebuilding for over a decade. While they have young stars like Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson, Buffalo cannot find a way to create a winning team. The Sabres are looking to snap a five-game losing skid on Saturday night, after losing 6-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

Mattias Samuelsson scored 1:05 into overtime off a Tage Thompson feed as the visiting Buffalo Sabres stormed back from a three-goal deficit to down the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 on Saturday night.

After an unexpected leave of absence, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin was back on the ice for Saturday night's game in Detroit.

Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is back with the team after traveling to Sweden to check on his fiancee, who is recovering from a heart transplant this summer.

Former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski has landed a new opportunity. The Grand Rapids Griffins have announced that they have signed Tokarski to an American Hockey League (AHL) professional tryout (PTO).