DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings experienced a lull after a fast start but got the two points they needed. Deivy Grullon Jersey . Daniel Alfredsson had a goal and an assist and Detroit held off the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Friday night for the Red Wings fourth consecutive win. Detroit led 3-0 after the first period. "To me, I thought we started really good, we were all over them," said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, who got his 413th win for Detroit, which ties him for the all-time franchise record with Jack Adams. "I thought suddenly we had some skill and suddenly we were dangling around with the puck and now we had the cute-itis going and then we didnt want to shoot it in the net," he said. "We wanted to pass it one more time and the next thing you know its game on instead of just doing things simple and hard and right." Darren Helm and Tomas Jurco also scored for Detroit, which is in the seventh playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets. Danny DeKeyser had two assists and Jimmy Howard made 21 saves. Jamie McBain scored and Nicolas Deslauriers got his first career goal for Buffalo, which has the NHLs worst record. Matt Hackett stopped 28 shots. "We had nothing to lose. Got the day off tomorrow. Just tried to leave it all on the ice . After the tough start," McBain said. The Sabres lost in St. Louis 2-1 on Thursday night and didnt get to their hotel in Detroit until 4 a.m. Friday morning. "We talked about having excuses. We couldve had a real good one," Buffalo coach Ted Nolan said. "I think tired is a state of mind. We got in at four this morning and slept in. It wasnt that short of a night." Deslauriers pulled the Sabres within one at 6:40 of the third period, sending in a loose puck from the slot. "Yeah, I got a little more nervous at the end there. They were all over us and we all know we need those points," Jurco said. "It got a little more nervous towards the end but I think we handled it pretty well." McBains power-play goal put Buffalo on the scoreboard with 7:32 left in the second period. He beat Howard with a wrist shot from the left circle for McBains fifth goal. Alfredsson tried to explain the letdown. "I think its the pressure, the time of the year, the magnitude of the game, being a game we cant afford to lose, all those things combined, I think makes for us being cautious, more than playing hard for 60," he said. "Before we feel like the underdog and feel like we can claw ourselves into games and find a way to win and today were the favourites and didnt handle that as well as we can." Helm opened the scoring 5:47 into the game when he put in a loose puck from Hacketts right at the side of the crease. It was Helms 11th goal. Jurco and Andersson then scored 1:16 apart. Jurco tipped Dekeysers shot from the point out of the air and past Hackett for a power-play goal with 5:48 left in the first. It was Jurcos seventh goal and second in two games. It came with John Scott in the penalty box for hooking. Alfredsson got his 18th goal, with 4:32 remaining in the opening period, when he scored on a rebound. NOTES: Detroit C Pavel Datsyuk returned after missing 16 games with an inflamed knee. He had also missed 30 of the last 34 games. ... Buffalo D Henrik Tallinder missed his second game with a lower-body injury. ... Alfredsson returned after missing a game due to a sore back. ... Sabres goalies Michal Neuvirth and Matt Hackett both played junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey Leagues Plymouth Whalers, who are based in suburban Detroit. ... This was the final game for referee Don Van Massenhoven. It was the 1,277th NHL game of his career. He chose to work his last game at Joe Louis Arena and was was named the games honorary first star. Chuck Klein Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations. Vince Velasquez Jersey .Y. -- Major League Soccer has agreed to new measures to protect gay players from discrimination and harassment as a result of meetings with New Yorks attorney general. https://www.cheapphilliesjerseys.us/1187n-richie-ashburn-jersey-phillies.html . -- Top-seed Shahar Peer and Canadian Eugenie Bouchard advanced to the second round of the inaugural WTA Citi Open.AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - LeBron James came leaping in to try to stop Jodie Meeks as the Detroit guard drove to the basket during the final seconds of the third quarter.After colliding with Meeks, James put his hands out to break his fall before sliding across the floor on his stomach.I was scared, because I broke my wrist on a fall like that in high school, James said. I was either going to land on my face or break the fall with my hands, but when I hit, both my arms went numb. Im OK now — it was just something like a stinger — but I wasnt sure at first.James barely missed any game time after that anxious moment, and he finished with 32 points to help the Cleveland Cavaliers to their seventh straight victory Tuesday night, 103-95 over the Pistons. Kyrie Irving matched his season high with 38 points.The Cavs never trailed in the second half, but when James hit the deck and didnt immediately get up, that was plenty to be concerned about.That is obviously a time of worry, which is the understatement of the year, Cleveland coach David Blatt said. In a situation like that, you are just hoping he is OK.James quickly came back in the game, and his two-handed breakaway dunk early in the fourth put Cleveland up 80-68.Greg Monroe had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons, who pulled within eight and had the ball late in the fourth quarter, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was unable to connect from 3-point range. James drew a foul at the other end and made both free throws to make it 88-78 with 2:56 to play.Caldwell-Pope was fouled by James while shooting a 3-pointer with 2:00 remaining, and that trio of free throws made it 90-83. The Pistons got the ball back, but Andre Drummond missed a layup, and Irving connected from beyond the arc.The Cavs avenged a 23-point home loss to Detroit late last month. That game was part of a seven-game winning streak for the Pistons, but now Detroit is struggling to overcome the loss of Brandon Jennings, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon last weekend and will miss the rest of the season. Scott Kingery Jersey. IRVINGS BIG NIGHTDetroit led 19-17 after a first quarter in which the teams combined to shoot 1 for 16 from outside the paint. Cleveland shrugged off that rough start and reached 100 points for the eighth straight game.Irving was 6 of 10 from 3-point range. The rest of the Cavs went 3 of 24.Thats the luxury of playing with a great player like LeBron. When hes on the floor, you know there are going to be things opened up for the rest of you, Irving said. Tonight, we had a lot of open shots, and we got enough of them to go down.UNDERMANNEDD.J. Augustin, Detroits starting point guard now in Jennings absence, had 19 points and nine assists, but the Pistons have lost three in a row. That skid began with the game at Milwaukee when Jennings got hurt, but coach Stan Van Gundy says the team needs to move forward without him.Weve got good enough players to win, Van Gundy said. We had good enough players in there tonight to win. We just needed to do a couple of things better, and were not going to come in here after every loss now and talk about Brandons effect on it — at least Im not.Cleveland outscored Detroit 50-48 in the paint. Drummond had 12 points and 17 rebounds but shot just 6 of 17.TIP-INSCavaliers: Cleveland had won its last four games by double digits before Tuesday. ... The Cavs are without big man Anderson Varejao, who like Jennings ruptured his left Achilles tendon.Pistons: Detroit had 18 turnovers while Cleveland committed only nine.UP NEXTCavaliers: Host Portland on Wednesday night.Pistons: Play at Philadelphia on Wednesday night. ' ' '