The Capitals won in a shootout over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday on the front-end of a back-to-back, as they earned a much-needed two points with a 4-3 victory.
It was the second shootout winner for Alex Ovechkin in the last week.
The Capitals are now 36-20-10 on the season. They’ll be in action at home in less than 24 hours.
A shootout, once more
The Capitals were hemmed in their own zone for most of the overtime period, but kept the Sabres off the board long enough to force a shootout.
There, Ovechkin won the game in a shootout as the Capitals rallied for a 2-1 shootout win in a 4-3 victory.
Ovechkin keeps scoring
NHL
With a bullet of a slap shot in the second period to tie the game, Ovechkin scored his 41st goal of the season and moved to just 29 goals shy of No. 800 and 30 shy of Gordie Howe for 2nd all-time.
Ovechkin’s tally was also his fifth in the last six games and ninth in the last 11 games. As of the end of the night, Ovechkin sits fourth in the NHL for goals this season, just one behind Rangers forward Chris Kreider.
While there’s been a load of uncertainty throughout the year for Washington, Ovechkin has continued his excellence this season.
Oshie/Dowd miss more time
The Capitals were once again without T.J. Oshie and Nic Dowd on Friday. In turn, the Capitals played 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second-straight game.
Oshie has now missed the team’s last four games with a lower-body injury while Dowd has missed the last three with an upper-body injury. Their returns are still unknown, but both are listed as day-to-day.
It’s been an up-and-down year injury-wise for both of them, as Oshie has played in just 28 games this season. Dowd has played in 50 of the team’s 66, but has battled a few different injuries all season.
Samsonov starts in net
Ilya Samsonov got just his third start of the month with the Capitals on the front-end of a back-to-back in Buffalo.
On the night, he stopped 20 of 23 Sabres shots sent his direction. Notably, he kept the team in the game in overtime when the Sabres pushed for nearly the entire five-minute frame. He also made two saves in the shootout period.
It's been a challenging month for Samsonov, who has gotten just two starts since Feb. 28 after the solid play of Vitek Vanecek in net. But down the stretch, he'll certainly be called upon again to stay fresh.
Mantha strikes again
Anthony Mantha continued his hot month of March since his return from shoulder surgery with a first period goal to put the Caps on top early in Buffalo.
Mantha now has seven goals and six assists on the season, but has scored five goals with two assists in his 11 games since the return. His linemates have shuffled a bit in the last few weeks, but Mantha has been a strong force since his return.
With Mantha in the lineup, the Capitals have been able to re-organize their lines in a way that makes a bit more sense — especially with the continued absences of Oshie and Dowd.