Red Wings 4, Sabres 2: Jimmy Howard stopped 25 shots and Darren Helm had one of three third-period goals for Detroit in a pivotal win over host Buffalo.

Brendan Smith, David Legwand and Pavel Datsyuk added goals for the Red Wings, who need just one point over their final three games to clinch a playoff spot for the 23rd consecutive season. With his 414th victory as Detroit's coach, Mike Babcock moved past Jack Adams for first on the franchise list.

Zemgus Girgensons scored twice for the Sabres, who need six goals over their final three games to avoid setting an NHL record for the fewest tallies by a team since expansion in 1967. Matt Hackett turned aside 33 shots for Buffalo, which has lost four straight.

After a scoreless first period, Girgensons put Buffalo ahead 1:31 into the second with a deft redirection of Cody Hodgson's shot from directly in front of the crease. The Red Wings drew even at 12:28, as Smith gathered Johan Franzen's pass at the bottom of the right circle and wristed a shot past an out-of-position Hackett.

Detroit surged in front 3:33 into the third, as Helm beat a pair of Buffalo defensemen to a rebound before outwaiting Hackett and firing a wrist shot past him. Legwand extended the lead at 15:46 with a shot that beat Hackett between the legs, and Datsyuk added an empty netter after Girgensons had drawn Buffalo to within a goal at 17:49.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Three of Girgenson's eight career goals have come against Detroit. ... The Red Wings finish up their regular-season schedule with road games in Pittsburgh and St. Louis and a home date with Carolina. ... Detroit's streak of 22 straight playoff appearances is the longest active run in any of the four major North American professional sports.