Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres
· National Hockey LeagueChychrun scores third period goal to give Capitals 2-1 win over Sabres
Chychrun’s goal came when forward Aliaksei Protas passed to the defenseman in the circle and he fired it past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for his 23rd goal of the year.
Ryan Leonard also scored for the Capitals, who won for the second time in the past three games.
Sam Carrick scored for the Sabres and Luukkonen made 20 saves.
Carrick’s second goal in three games gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 6:02 of the first period after a no-look backhand pass from Beck Malenstyn.
Leonard tied the game at 2:14 of the second period when he fired a shot past Luukkonen while on a two-on-one.
Chychrun won it for the Capitals at 18:27 of the third.
Sabres defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Tanner Pearson made their team debuts after they were acquired at the trade deadline.
Capitals forward Connor McMichael played in his 300th career game.
Sabres: Conclude a five-game homestand Saturday against Toronto.
Regular Season SeriesSeries tied 1-1
Scoring Summary
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Goal | 1st Period 6:02 | Sam Carrick Goal (6) Tip-In, assists: Beck Malenstyn (5), Owen Power (17) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 2:14 | Ryan Leonard Goal (14) Snap Shot, assists: none |
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Goal | 3rd Period 18:27 | Jakob Chychrun Goal (23) Snap Shot, assists: Aliaksei Protas (24), Trevor van Riemsdyk (7) |
Statistics
WSH |
BUF |
|
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Blocked Shots | 11 |
| 22 | Hits | 24 |
| 9 | Takeaways | 5 |
| 22 | Shots | 30 |
| 0 | Power Play Goals | 0 |
| 2 | Power Play Opportunities | 2 |
| 0.0 | Power Play Percentage | 0.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 18 | Faceoffs Won | 27 |
| 40.0 | Faceoff Win Percent | 60.0 |
| 17 | Giveaways | 13 |
| 2 | Total Penalties | 2 |
| 4 | Penalty Minutes | 4 |
Buffalo Sabres Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Tanner Pearson, LW | Day-To-Day | Mar 15 |
| Mattias Samuelsson, D | Day-To-Day | Mar 15 |
| Colten Ellis, G | Day-To-Day | Mar 15 |
| Tyson Kozak, C | Day-To-Day | Mar 15 |
| Jiri Kulich, C | Injured Reserve | Mar 6 |
Washington Capitals Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| David Kampf, C | Day-To-Day | Mar 15 |
| Eriks Mateiko, LW | Out | Jan 13 |
Game Information
KeyBank Center
Location: Buffalo, NY
Attendance: 19,070 | Capacity:
Location: Buffalo, NY
Attendance: 19,070 | Capacity:
2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carolina |
42 | 18 | 90 | 6 |
Pittsburgh |
33 | 18 | 81 | 15 |
NY Islanders |
38 | 24 | 81 | 5 |
Columbus |
34 | 21 | 79 | 11 |
Philadelphia |
31 | 23 | 74 | 12 |
Washington |
33 | 27 | 74 | 8 |
New Jersey |
33 | 31 | 68 | 2 |
NY Rangers |
28 | 30 | 64 | 8 |
2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffalo |
41 | 20 | 88 | 6 |
Tampa Bay |
40 | 21 | 84 | 4 |
Montreal |
36 | 19 | 82 | 10 |
Boston |
37 | 23 | 80 | 6 |
Detroit |
36 | 23 | 80 | 8 |
Ottawa |
33 | 23 | 75 | 9 |
Florida |
33 | 29 | 69 | 3 |
Toronto |
28 | 27 | 68 | 12 |




WSH
BUF
Carolina
Pittsburgh
NY Islanders
Columbus
Philadelphia
Washington
New Jersey
NY Rangers
Buffalo
Tampa Bay
Montreal
Boston
Detroit
Ottawa
Florida
Toronto