{"id":520721,"date":"2026-03-13T07:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T07:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/520721\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T07:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T07:18:09","slug":"unscheduled-win-caps-beat-sabres-2-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/520721\/","title":{"rendered":"Unscheduled win: Caps beat Sabres 2-1"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ud83d\udcf8: Ian Hopper<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The Washington Capitals visited the ascendant Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. If you told me in October this would be a scheduled loss I would have scoffed at you like a Victorian dandy. And despite playing on their heels for most of the night, the Caps grinded out an unlikely win.<\/p>\n

Sam Carrick<\/a> took a sharp pass from ex-Cap Beck Malenstyn to put Buffalo ahead early. Ryan Leonard<\/a> tied it with a solo effort early in the second period.<\/p>\n

Late in rego, Aliaksei Protas won a scramble below the goal line and found Jakob Chychrun for the game-winner.<\/p>\n

Caps win!<\/p>\n

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On October 25, the Caps put 13 shots on goal in a blowout loss to the Ottawa Senators<\/a>. Through two periods in this game, the Caps were on pace to do worse. Well, not worse on the scoreboard. They were actually tied there. And that matters more, almost certainly.
\nOn a first-period power-play, Sabres forward Tage Thompson<\/a> fired five shots on goal in half a minute, all from the Ovi spot. Three of them were 90 mph. None of them hit the net. Well done, Charlie Lindgren<\/a>. Huge game by Chuckles.<\/p>\n

\"play<\/p>\n

Playing on the second line, Hendrix Lapierre<\/a> got more ice time than he has in four months. Good for him.
\nRyan Leonard is on a three-game goal streak. There\u2019s something poetic about scoring this goal alone after being 100 percent of the team\u2019s offense last night.<\/p>\n

I am an ardent fan of Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin, but they and I were watching different games tonight. \u201cThis is Caps hockey,\u201d Laughlin said \u2013 as a compliment! \u2013 of a miserable second period in which the Caps got outshot 16 attempts to 9. After Thompson\u2019s barrage, they praised Washington keeping shots to the outside, which RMNB lifers know as a classic Adam Oates PK boast<\/a>. I don\u2019t see how someone can say the Caps played \u201cextremely well\u201d if they\u2019re in their own zone so much. They did an okay job mitigating being unable to make a successful zone entry.
\nBut they were right about the Caps being better in the third period, starting with a breakaway attempt by Tom Wilson<\/a>, despite that esteemed chirper<\/a> being gassed at the end of a shift.
\nTo the peanut gallery<\/a>, no, Travis Konecny did not invent the term \u201cf\u2014ing nerd.\u201d Ian\u2019s favorite band OK GO<\/a> did.<\/p>\n

last hurrah for Joe B’s winter wardrobe #joebsuitofthenight<\/p>\n

\u2014 RMNB (@rmnb.bsky.social)<\/a> 2026-03-12T22:59:07.919Z<\/a><\/p>\n

As a bitter and petty person, I will take this moment to say the Sabres are a FRAUD. They\u2019re bottom-ten in five-on-five shot-attempt percentage with a median power play, but they\u2019re shooting better than all but three teams. That plus a great PK has given them the fifth best record in the league, and I wish them luck riding the PDO train into the postseason.<\/p>\n

Alan May\u2019s advice to the team at the final commercial break was \u201cstay gritty.\u201d Branding problems aside, that was the right call. Led by Charlie Lindgren the Caps won that game despite a big shot deficit.<\/p>\n

See you Saturday afternoon for a date with the Boston Bruins.<\/p>\n

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