The Detroit Red Wings did what they needed to do Sunday, and defeated an opponent chasing them in the standings.

Their 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena, before a nationally televised audience, added two much-needed points to a playoff chase that's incredibly tight. The Wings (38-31-8, 84 points) are among a handful of teams battling for the last wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference — and now have just five games left to get there.

They helped themselves in the matinee performance with an energetic start that led to a quick lead that kept growing. Lucas Raymond scored in the opening minute, and before the first period was even at the halfway point, Patrick Kane and Dylan Larkin also had scored. Alex Lyon made 38 saves, coming up huge the last two periods as the Sabres tried hard to stage a rally, including pulling their goalie with about three minutes to play.

Making a push: Dylan Larkin: Red Wings 'need more out of everybody' to win tight playoff race

Setting a tone

The Wings delivered a rousing start, demonstrating the situation they are in. Raymond scored on the opening shift, intercepting the puck in the neutral zone and backing down three defenders as he raced in on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Kane followed up at 4:24, splitting a pair of defenders to power to the net and sliding a forehand shot behind Luukkonen's outstretched right leg. Kane then drew a crosschecking penalty on Henri Jokiharju to give the Wings a man advantage, and it ook just 22 seconds to convert, with Larkin finishing a setup by Raymond and David Perron.

Pushback

As if cheering three goals wasn't enough for fans, the first period also featured two fights. Joe Veleno took exception to being knocked down by Bowen Byram and dropped the gloves near the midpoint, with the two exchanging multiple punches before officials separated them. While both were still in their respective boxes, the Wings ended up shorthanded when Christian Fischer sent the puck over the glass. They dealt with that, but a tripping call on Austin Czarnik gave the Sabres the momentum needed for Tage Thompson to make it 3-1. Before the period ended, Jeff Petry and Dylan Cozens got into it over Cozens holding onto Petry's stick; they dropped the gloves, but Petry didn't land any punches and Cozens only a couple of jabs.

Lyon not rattled

The Sabres came out on their toes in the second period, to be expected given they were trailing. Lyon held down his end, denying Alex Tuch on an early chance and Jeff Skinner a couple minutes later. Thompson tried for another goal shortly after the midpoint, striding up the middle straight for the net only to be thwarted on an up-close wrist shot that saw Lyon lose his glove. Lyon made 11 saves in the second period to keep the Wings ahead by two goals.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings hold on after hot start for critical win vs. Buffalo