They had not played together on the same line this season. But Capitals forwards Jason Chimera, David Steckel and Matt Bradley don’t exactly need hours of practice time to generate instant chemistry.
All three play a similar style and were a force all over the ice during Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at Verizon Center. The third line produced two early goals by Bradley and Steckel thanks to a ferocious forecheck, and Washington clung to a one-goal lead for much of the third period.
“We were in the right spots,” said Steckel, whose goal at 2:45 of the second period put the Caps on top 3-0. “If you do the right things and you’re working hard, it’s easy to play together.”
Washington improved to 14-4-1 and now has 29 points — most in the NHL. The Caps also are 10-1 at Verizon Center. Rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth finished with 31 saves, including a handful of key stops during a Buffalo power play with less than nine minutes remaining. Alexander Semin added an empty-net goal with four seconds left.
Washington secured an early 5-on-3 power play in the first period after a pair of Sabres penalties 13 seconds apart. Just 83 seconds into that two-man advantage Semin threaded a cross-crease pass to Nicklas Backstrom, who easily beat goalie Ryan Miller (25 saves). That play extended Semin’s point streak to nine games.
At 17:04 of the first period, Washington’s strong forecheck led to another goal. Defenseman Karl Alzner got deep into the offensive zone and chipped the puck toward Chimera, also skating behind the Buffalo goal. He needed just an instant for a through-the-legs pass out front to Bradley. And while he didn’t strike the puck cleanly, the change of pace fooled Miller, and it slid under his pads for the 2-0 Caps lead.
The Sabres comeback started when Derek Roy recorded a power-play goal at 12:07 of the second. Just 48 seconds later defenseman Jordan Leopold jumped into the play and finished a scramble in front of the goal to cut the lead to 3-2.
