After going down 1-0 in the shootout, the Buffalo Sabres (15-21-5) scored in the third and fourth rounds as they then watched their netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen secure the win against the Washington Capitals (26-10-4). Special teams were working for both teams in the game as each team scored a goal while on the man advantage.
Game Recap
Four minutes into the game, Peterka opened the scoring after sniping a shot past two defenders and Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren for his 11th goal of the season. The Capitals would answer back quickly, on the power play, as Tom Wilson slapped a one-timer to tie the game at one. The scoring would ease for the rest of the first period as the Sabres led in shots 9-6.
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Alex Tuch broke the 1-1 tie at the start of the second period after poking it away from Jakob Chychrun in the Sabres’ defensive zone. On a breakaway, Tuch shot it over Lindgren’s glove for his 13th goal of the season to make it 2-1. Much like the first period, Wilson tied it up for his team. After keeping it in the zone, Aliaksei Protas shot it on goal where Wilson pounced on the rebound to make it 2-2. Wilson remains hot for the Capitals as he has four goals and five points in his last three games. The Sabres went on the power play immediately after the goal and Tage Thompson scored on a one-time feed from Rasmus Dahlin to make it 3-2.
Needing a goal, the Capitals applied pressure throughout the third period. After consistent keep-ins in the Sabres’ zone, the Capitals were rewarded with 4:13 to go in the third period. Protas redirected a pass in the crease over Luukkonen’s glove to tie the game 3-3 leading to overtime.
There weren’t many big chances in overtime until the final minute. After a misplay by Alex Ovechkin, just above his own blue line, the Sabres stole it and Jason Zucker was all alone on a breakaway. Lindgren came up huge for the Capitals and bailed out his team with a left-pad save. Overtime ended with Dahlin rifling a shot at Lindgren who made a glove save to bring it to a shootout.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored first for the Capitals to put the pressure on the Sabres. In the do-or-die round, Alex Tuch barely nudged the puck past Lindgren’s stick to keep his team alive. In the following round, Peterka picked the bottom right corner to put the Sabres in front, applying the pressure back to the Capitals. Luukkonen wouldn’t be faked by Chychrun and made the save to secure the victory.
The win snaps the Sabres’ three-game losing streak and the Capitals lose their second shootout in three games. The Capitals will head back to Washington D.C. and host the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, while the Sabres head north of the border to face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
