Helene St. James | Detroit Free Press

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dylan Larkin didn’t like hearing he wasn’t considered a goal scorer, including from his employer.

His response was to become the Detroit Red Wings’ first 30-goal scorer in a decade.

In a season where “not much has felt great” because the losses have added up to another playoffs miss, Larkin didn’t hide how much it meant to reach the milestone he hit after scoring twice in Thursday’s 5-4 overtime victory at KeyBank center against the Buffalo Sabres.

Tyler Bertuzzi secured the win with his second goal of the game, and newcomer Taro Hirose — nicknamed “Taco” by Thomas Vanek — continued his strong debut by extending his assist streak to five games, but Larkin deservedly had the biggest accolade of the night. The Wings haven’t had a player reach 30 goals since Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen and Marian Hossa all reached the marker in 2008-09.

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Proving people were wrong about him sparked Larkin.

“Through contract negotiating and end of last couple years, people said I wasn’t a goal scorer,” Larkin said. “I tried to focus on it this summer. I set a goal before every season to try and get to 30, I think every player does and should. It is bittersweet because of the situation we’re in now, but it does feel pretty good that hard work pays off. To prove to people that I could be a goal scorer in this league.

“Any player wants to score goals. It’s one of the greatest joys of this game. You want to score goals, you want to have the puck on your stick and make plays. It feels pretty good in a season where not much has felt great this year.”

The victory was the Wings’ fifth in the last six games, and while that has damaged their draft lottery odds, it’s given the players a burst of self-esteem. They didn’t look as competitive against the Sabres as they did against the Sharks and Golden Knights, twice blowing two-goal leads, but they found a way to win for a third straight game; that hadn't happened in two months.

Coach Jeff Blashill confidently predicted Andreas Athanasiou, who has 29 goals, will reach 30 as early as Friday, when the Wings host the New Jersey Devils (7:30 p.m.). It was fitting it was Larkin who got there first, because he has been the Wings’ best player all season.

“We’re all super happy for him,” Bertuzzi said. “It shows hard work and dedication to the game.”

Larkin, 22, has served notice this season he’s an elite player. He’s relentless and consistent.

“A lot of nights he’s our engine,” Blashill said “There are a lot of other good players on the team but he is our engine and he needs to play at that high level and he has.”

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Detroit Red Wings 5, Buffalo Sabres 4 (OT): Photos from N.Y.

Blashill pointed out that when Larkin was drafted 15th overall in 2014, goal scoring wasn’t considered his strong suit. Instead, his skating and two-way play drew the most praise. A desire to be as well-rounded as possible has fueled Larkin’s growth.

“It’s been awesome to watch him work at getting better,” Blashill said. “He puts the time in to get the number of repetitions it takes to get better at things. He’s truly gotten better and better and better and better in a lot of different areas of his offensive game. It’s hard to do.

“Everybody works hard, everybody trains in the gym, everybody skates. But are you willing to go and just shoot pucks over and over and over again and get better at a skill. A lot of guys aren’t. He is. That’s why he’s continued to get better and exceeded a lot of people’s expectations. I can’t put a ceiling on him. When you have that kind of inner drive, you can never put a ceiling on a player.”