Plus: The Sabres had been outplaying the Capitals to start the second period, so Connor McMichael’s response goal to put Washington on the board came at the perfect time. Coach Carbery had just mixed up the lines together and put McMichael with Pacioretty and Oshie, and they quickly did some damage.
Minus: The Capitals really needed two points tonight, and they couldn’t even get one.
Key Moment: The Capitals were down 2-1 going into the third period, so ideally they’d come out strong and get the momentum going to mount the comeback effort. Unfortunately, Tom Wilson had other plans and took a tripping call just 16 seconds in. The Sabres did not score on the ensuing power play, but all hopes of a quick, strong start to the third were lost.
Caps Player of the Game: Tom Wilson scored in the final minute of the game to get Caps fans McNuggets, to tonight’s honors go to him.
Final Thoughts: The Sabres were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday, and that usually manifests in one of two ways: teams deflate even more, or they decide to become everyone’s problem and spoil other teams’ playoff pushes by all of a sudden becoming a lineup of Wayne Gretzkys. Guess which version the Sabres went with tonight. The Capitals played a solid, well-organized first period but couldn’t convert, and then they couldn’t keep that momentum going after the Sabres scored their first goal.
Up next for the Capitals: a meeting with the Tampa Bay Lightning this Saturday, April 13 at 5:30pm ET.