Capitals vs. Sabres Recap: Oshie in Shootout Beats Buffalo

One evening after falling to the Penguins at home the Capitals travelled to Buffalo and downed the Sabres 3 to 2 in a shootout.

Here’s Saturday night’s Plus/Minus:

Plus: Martin Fehérváry returned to the lineup, looked healthy, and tallied a goal.

Minus: John Carlson’s defensive turnovers.

Ten more notes on the game:

1. Less than four minutes into the game Conor Sheary and Lars Eller connected for an early lead. A sweet saucer pass from Sheary gave Eller time and space to hammer home his fourth goal of the season.
2. Ten minutes later Vinnie Hinostroza tied the contest with a breakaway goal. With no defensemen in sight Hinostroza strode in alone from outside the blueline and beat Vitek Vanecek upstairs.
3. Buffalo outshot Washington 13 to 10 through the game’s first twenty minutes of play.
4. Early in the second period Will Butcher put the Sabres ahead 2 to 1. Alongside Rasmus Asplund on an odd man rush Butcher bunted the passed puck between Vanecek’s legs.
5. Just before the second intermission T.J. Oshie was bloodied by a Kyle Okposo high stick, granting the Capitals four minutes of power play time that extended into the third period.
6. While Washington went scoreless on the power play Fehérváry knotted the score a few minutes later. Alex Ovechkin put the puck on a platter for the defenseman to rip past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
7. Regulation time came to a close with the teams still tied at two. Overtime could not determine a winner either so the game went to a shootout.
8. And in the shootout it was Oshie tallying the winning goal for the Capitals in the third round.
9. Ovechkin’s assist has him on pace for 70 this season, which would be a career high (currently 59). The assist also extends his point streak to five games.
10. Sheary skated in his 400th career game (75th with Washington).