Sabers beat Capitals in first shootout of season – Hockey Writer – Buffalo Sabers
Lukonen stopped every Capitals shot in overtime, sending the game to penalties. There, the Finnish netminder continued to stymie Washington’s chances, buying Byram time and firing a wrist shot past Charlie Lindgren to seal the victory for the Sabers.
game review
The Sabers, who set a season-high 40 shots in Thursday’s loss, started the game with the same shot-first mentality. Stand-in captain Matthias Samuelsson fired the first shot from above the right face-off circle. The Capitals’ Dylan Strome got his first chance in the offensive zone, storming on a one-on-four possession, getting the puck to Leonard and then draining an unguarded shot to put his team on the scoreboard 1-0.
Alyakse Protas then deflected the puck before grabbing a breakaway opportunity. Protas waited for Connor McMichael’s trailer and passed the puck to him, who returned the favor, scoring his second goal of the night to extend the lead to 2-0. Buffalo responded when stand-in captain Tachi Thompson (Jason Zucker) drilled a goal through the seam on a forward pass to cut the deficit to one.
Washington looked to retaliate and extend its lead when Sonny Milano missed a shot on a odd-man rush and Ukko-Pekka Luukonen fired from high in the right faceoff circle. The Sabers earned a chance to tie the game on their first power play of the night. Isak Rosen passed the ball to Thompson once.
Although unable to turn the game around, Buffalo eventually tied the game. Josh Doan intercepted the puck on the odd man rush. He then passed the ball to the long-striking Alex Tuch, who broke through John Carlson’s defense and scored the equalizer at 2-2. The Sabers kept their foot on the gas, dominating the offensive zone with solid possession. Jack Quinn passed the puck to a late Rosen, who scored Buffalo’s third goal of the night and his first in the NHL to give his team a 3-2 lead.
The Sabers and Capitals traded lengthy exchanges in the second quarter, with Buffalo providing more action. Lindgren used his glove to save Samuelsson’s high shot, then a defender blocked Donne’s shot as he attempted a forehand. Milan’s shot rebounded from the net and scored the equalizing goal, 3-3.
When the Capitals came out firing, the pressure shifted to Washington. Lukonen made a crucial save and the game ended in a 3-3 draw. In overtime, Buffalo failed to get a shot on goal and the Capitals bombarded Lukonen with opportunities, but the goalie held his own and sent the game to a penalty shootout to decide the winner. Byram scored the go-ahead goal to help the Sabers win 4-3.
What’s next?
The Sabers snapped a three-game losing streak in overtime and will face the Utah Mammoths on Tuesday. The Capitals, on the other hand, will host the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday in a cross-league showdown.
