DETROIT -- Sabres goalie Robin Lehner faced 43 shots Tuesday night, but it was his own teammate who almost knocked him out of Buffalo's 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

With the Sabres trying to hold onto a one-goal lead in the third period, Zach Bogosian accidentally high-sticked Lehner in the throat as the defenseman and Detroit center Frans Nielsen drove to the net.

Lehner dropped face first onto the ice, and he was only barely aware that Nielsen's second attempt at a shot bounced off his head and into the net. Detroit's game-tying goal was quickly waved off, as the officials had blown the whistle due to Lehner's injury.

"I couldn't really breathe or swallow after I got hit, so that's a scary situation," said Lehner, sporting a large welt on his throat. "It came back after a little while, but that was uncomfortable."

Lehner stayed in the game, making 19 of his 40 saves in the third period as the Sabres snapped their four-game losing streak.

"We knew they were going to come after us, and our defense was doing everything they could," he said. "That was a battle."

The victory was the 300th of Dan Bylsma's coaching career.

"That's a great milestone for a coach, and I'm glad we could get it for him in the same rink where he won a Stanley Cup," said Sabres center Jack Eichel, who had a goal and an assist. "Now we need to get him No. 301."

The Sabres led 2-0 and 3-1, but Thomas Vanek's unassisted goal at 6:33 of the third tied the game at 3 and ended Detroit's streak of 27 power-play opportunities without scoring.

"That was a huge goal, whether or not it came on the power play," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "It got us right back into the game."

Evander Kane put Buffalo up 4-3 with his second of the night at 8:29. Kane has eight goals this season, with all coming in his past 10 games.

"I'm really working well on the line I'm playing on right now, and things are starting to go in," he said.

Detroit fell to 3-10-3 in its past 16 home games.

"It's hard to win in this league, and constantly having to play from behind makes it harder," Blashill said. "You aren't going to win many when you give up four goals, either."

The Sabres grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Kane opened the scoring at 7:12, flipping a rebound over Petr Mrazek's shoulder.

The Sabres doubled the lead at 15:54 on Sam Reinhart's eighth goal. With Buffalo on the power play, Rasmus Ristolainen took a shot from the point that Mrazek had covered, but Reinhart tipped it in from the edge of the crease.

The Red Wings had a chance to get back into the game when Dmitry Kulikov was called for hooking midway through the second period. The league's worst power play maintained the edge only 26 seconds against the worst penalty-kill unit before Luke Glendening took a holding penalty.

The teams traded goals later in the second, with Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg scoring at 14:46 and Eichel answering 22 seconds later. Eichel blew past Vanek before flipping a quick shot over Mrazek's right shoulder.

"You always know that you've got a chance to make a play when you see a forward back on a play like that," Eichel said. "When I saw it was Vanek, I tried to use my speed to beat him to the net."

Detroit quickly made it 3-2, as Drew Miller knocked a rebound past Lehner for his fourth goal at 16:14.

Mrazek finished with 18 saves.

NOTES: Buffalo RW Brian Gionta was credited with two assists. ... Sabres C Ryan O'Reilly is expected to miss two to three weeks after having an emergency appendectomy on Christmas Day. LW William Carrier replaced O'Reilly in the lineup against Detroit, with C Sam Reinhart centering the second line. ... Buffalo D Cody Franson (middle-body injury) took part in the morning skate but was out of the lineup for the third straight game. ... Red Wings D Brendan Smith returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with a knee injury. He replaced Ryan Sproul. ... The start of the game was delayed approximately 20 minutes due to a ceremony honoring the 1996-97 Stanley Cup championship team. Led by captain Steve Yzerman, that squad won the franchise's first title at Joe Louis Arena, ending a 42-year drought.