Washington Capitals lock down the Buffalo Sabres as Jakob Chychrun and Ryan Leonard supply even-strength goals at KeyBank Center

The Washington Capitals moved to 33-27 with 7 overtime losses and 2 points, and the the Buffalo Sabres moved to 40-20 with 6 overtime losses and 1 point after a 2-1 Washington decision at KeyBank Center. The Caps finished with 22 shots and 22 hits, while the Sabres posted 30 shots and 24 hits in front of an announced attendance of 19070 on ESPN+ and MSG-B.

First period

The Sabres opened the scoring in the first period with their only goal of the game, taking a 1-0 lead while keeping the Caps off the board in the opening frame. The Caps responded with 9 takeaways in the game and got 29 saves from Charlie Lindgren, who faced 30 shots against and allowed 1 goal against.

Second period

The Caps tied the game with 1 second-period goal as defenseman Jakob Chychrun finished with 1 goal on 1 shot for a 100 shooting percent night and earned first-star recognition. Washington’s penalty kill went 2-for-2 as Buffalo finished with 0 power-play goals on 5 power-play shots, including 5 shorthanded saves credited to Lindgren. The Sabres controlled the faceoff circle at 60 percent, while the Caps finished at 40 percent on 45 faceoffs.

Third period

The Caps produced the Washington Capitals vs Buffalo Sabres turning point in the third period when Ryan Leonard scored Washington’s winning goal, and the rookie ended with 1 goal on 1 shot and a plus-minus of 2. Washington closed the game at even strength with 2 even-strength goals on 18 even-strength shots, and the Sabres finished with 1 even-strength goal on 25 even-strength shots. The Blue and Gold goaltender took the loss with 20 saves on 22 shots against, and the Caps ended the night with a plus-minus of 5 compared to Buffalo’s minus-5.

Postgame numbers

The Washington Capitals vs Buffalo Sabres recap centered on Washington finishing with 2 minor penalties for 4 penalty minutes while Buffalo matched that with 2 minor penalties for 4 penalty minutes. The Caps went 0-for-2 on the power play with 4 shots, while the Swords went 0-for-2 with 5 shots and 0 power-play goals. The Washington Capitals full-time result also reflected Washington’s 17 giveaways against 13 for Buffalo and 12 blocked shots against 17 blocks for the Sabres, which set up the post-game thoughts Washington Capitals around puck management and defensive layers.

Next on the schedule

The Caps are scheduled to host the Boston Bruins at 3:00 PM EDT on 3/14/2026 at Capital One Arena at 601 F Street NW in Washington, DC. The broadcast is scheduled to air on ABC, and fans can also keep up through the team’s listed game coverage.

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