Sabres have thrashed them twice this season The previous two games against the Buffalo Sabres this season have not gone well for the Capitals.
The first loss on Nov. 26 cost former coach Bruce Boudreau his job two days later. The second included as ugly a first period as Washington has played through 35 games — and there are more than a few from which to choose. The Caps were down by a goal 51 seconds into Monday’s eventual 4-2 loss at Buffalo and 4-0 less than 15 minutes into it. Needless to say, they would like to exact some revenge in Friday night’s rematch against the Sabres at Verizon Center.
“They move pucks up really well. If we can get on the forecheck a little bit better, a little stronger, then I think we can keep that pressure in their own zone,” Washington forward Joel Ward said. “It was disheartening the way the last two games went down up there. But it’s over with now. Just hope we can get one back [Friday].”
But that’s easier said than done given Buffalo’s overall speed. In both the 5-1 loss two days after Thanksgiving and the loss Monday, the Caps struggled to contain the Sabres, who seemed to turn every turnover into an odd-man rush. By the time Washington settled down, those games were effectively over.
“I think it was more us than anything they did, the way we played,” Washington forward Jason Chimera said. “We just haven’t played the right way against them. We’ve been down early. We need a bigger save. We need better from our top players. We need better from our role players. Everybody was pretty bad in those games.”
The Caps are still trying to sustain some momentum under coach Dale Hunter, who took over for Boudreau on Nov. 28 after that first Buffalo debacle proved to general manager George McPhee that his team needed a new voice. They are 6-6-1 under Hunter and have won two games in a row just once since he took over.
Washington (18-15-1, 38 points) entered play Thursday in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo (17-16-3, 37 points), which has been crippled by injuries much of the season, is in 11th. The Sabres whipped Washington in that first meeting with nine regulars out of the lineup.
The Caps hope this time they can build on a fine performance after a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday at Verizon Center. But they said virtually the exact same things after an impressive 4-1 win at home over Nashville on Dec. 20. Ten minutes into the second period of a game three days later they were losing 3-0 at New Jersey.
“Against [New York] we have great start, our goalie play great, our system was solid and all the guys know their roles,” Washington forward Alex Ovechkin said. “But [Buffalo] just don’t make mistakes in the neutral zone. It was a bad start for us last game against them. It’s a situation where we have to score first goal.”
