Brian Pothier scored during a two-man advantage in overtime to lift the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night in the preseason opener for both.
Buffalo, which had not been assessed a penalty until 39 seconds remained in regulation, incurred two in a span of 25 seconds to set up the overtime power play. Pothier fired a slap shot from the center point past Buffalo goalie Jhonas Enroth.
Alexandre Giroux, Mike Knuble and Jay Beagle scored for Washington. Semyon Varlamov played the entire game in goal for the Capitals and made 20 saves.
Jason Pominville, Clarke MacArthur, and Tim Kennedy scored third-period goals for Buffalo. Patrick Lalime started in goal for the Sabres and stopped six of seven shots in just over 33 minutes. Enroth made 21 saves.
Pominville scored 2:16 into the final period after failing to connect on two good chances during power plays in the second. MacArthur gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead, deflecting a shot at 6:12.
Giroux, a 28-year-old who scored 60 goals for the AHL Hershey Bears last season, gave Washington a 1-0 lead 8½ minutes into the game, tapping in a loose puck in the goal mouth.
Giroux is looking to make an NHL roster after playing only 22 games in the league over the previous three seasons. His 60-goal season was his fifth straight of 30 or more in the AHL.
