The Washington Capitals outlasted the Buffalo Sabres in a 4-2 win at Capital One Arena on Saturday night to claim their fourth straight win. In the process, Washington continues Buffalo’s downward spiral with their ninth straight defeat. Tom Wilson continues his strong play with 11 points in 11 games without Alex Ovechkin available for Spencer Carbury’s lineup. Meanwhile, Dylan Strome rose to the occasion with his first game-winning goal of the season and 16th of his NHL career.
Sabres and Capitals Even After One Period
Buffalo scored 96 seconds into the game on a deflection from Jason Zucker’s skate that skipped past Washington starter Logan Thompson for the 1-0 Sabres lead. Jordan Greenway sent a puck toward the net with traffic in front that caught a skate for Zucker’s eighth goal of the 2024 season.
Washington continued to pressure the Sabres, throwing 12 shots at the Buffalo net and slipping one past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen late in the first period to tie the game at one. Tom Wilson netted Washington’s tying goal with the man advantage for his 12th goal of the season and fourth on the power play.
Similar Scoring Script Works for Wilson in the Second
A familiar scene played out in the second period with a Wilson power-play goal leading to Washington’s 2-1 lead at 5:11 of the second frame. Jakob Chychryn’s initial shot was stopped by Luukkonen, who watched Wilson net his second of the contest. Wilson was perfect with two goals on two shots through two periods in the United States capital.
Related: Tom Wilson Scores Twice in Capitals 4-2 Win Over Canadiens
Buffalo responded two minutes later with another deflection goal. However, this one was of the intentional variety. Buffalo defenseman Bowen Byram rifled a one-timer with Jiri Kulich standing in front, and he knocked the puck out of the air away from the waiting Washington goalie to tie the game at two. The contest entered the intermission tied, with the shot count barely favoring Buffalo, 16-15.
Dylan Strome Leads Capitals to the Win in the Third Period
Strome, Washington’s leading scorer with 37 points, notched his 10th goal of the season at 11:05 of the final regulation period. John Carlson threaded a pass through two Buffalo defenders, allowing Strome to direct the puck into an open net before immediately acknowledging his defensive teammate. After the game, Strome deflected to the pass from Carlson when speaking with Monumental Sports Network. “It was a great pass,” Strome said. “He saw me behind the defender. I don’t think the goalie really picked up the puck. Lots of traffic and lucky to tip it home.” The 27-year-old Strome is the fifth Capital to score at least 10 goals over the first 29 games of the season, joining Wilson (13 goals), Aliaksei Protas (11), Connor McMichael (15), and the injured Alex Ovechkin (15).
How about THREE Carly apples 🍎 tonight?! @stromer19 wasn't going to miss his chance to cash in from a sweet @JohnCarlson74 pass 🤣@RealSmokinAl | @Capitals pic.twitter.com/akTHco1U50
— Monumental Sports Network (@MonSportsNet) December 15, 2024
Washinton sealed the game on a Chychryn empty-net goal with 90 seconds remaining in regulation for a 4-2 advantage. Washington improves to 21-6-2 and regains the lead in the Metropolitan Division with 44 points. Buffalo’s record falls to 11-15-4.
Despite the close contest, the game at Captial One Arena represented the trends in which these two hockey clubs find themselves this year. Washington wins their fourth straight game while skating away victorious in seven of their last eight NHL games. Meanwhile, Buffalo fans are experiencing an all-too-familiar tale with their ninth straight loss, while collecting three out of a possible 18 standings points since late November.
Upcoming Schedule for Washinton and Buffalo
Little rest is coming for Washington (21-6-2) as the team gets tomorrow off before back-to-back games on the road in Dallas (17-11-0) and Chicago (9-19-2) early next week. Dallas is still active against St. Louis at press time for this article.
The same can be true for Buffalo (11-15-4), which travels to Canada to battle the Toronto Maple Leafs (18-9-2) at Air Canada Center in less than 24 hours before wrapping up their three-game road trip on Tuesday in Montreal. Toronto (18-10-2) and Montreal (11-16-3) lost in regulation on Saturday night.