Caps Overpower Sabres, 4-1

Jakub Vrana's first NHL goal turned out to be the game-winner as the Capitals earned a 4-1 win over the Sabres in Buffalo on Friday night. Vrana's goal came midway through the second period and was one of two power-play goals for the Capitals in Friday's win, the Caps' third triumph over the Sabres in a span of 15 days.

Speaking just before one of his teammates adorned him with a shaving gel pie in mid-interview, the 20-year-old Prague native discussed his first NHL goal, which came in his fifth game in the league.

"It feels great," says Vrana. "I had a few shots the last few games that didn't go in, and that one did. I give huge credit to [Evgeny Kuznetsov] for a great play."

Washington played a strong game from start to finish, though the Caps did end up in some penalty trouble in the third period. Although Buffalo's lone goal in the game came on a power play in the third, the Caps' penalty killing outfit had a strong game, and special teams were the difference in the contest.

"We knew going into the game that was going to be a big factor, a big key in the game, special teams," says Sabres coach Dan Byslma. "Our power play had opportunities to get us back into the game and wasn't able to do that."

Philipp Grubauer made 27 saves to earn his fourth win of the season, and both of Washington's power-play goals came from players who scored for the first time this season: Vrana and John Carlson.

"Special teams were outstanding," says Caps coach Barry Trotz. "Grubi was outstanding and I thought we played a more complete game tonight."

The victory was Washington's third in a row, and it also put a halt to the Capitals' four-game road losing streak (0-2-2), the team's longest in nearly two years.

The two sides skated to a scoreless and fairly even first frame, with each side getting a power play opportunity and with neither team enjoying much in the way of scoring chances.

Just after the first television timeout of the second period, the Caps got on the board. T.J. Oshie took a sublime feed from Jay Beagle and went top shelf over the left shoulder of Sabres netminder Robin Lehner to put Washington on top at 6:43 of the second.

"We got a little [offensive] zone stint there," recounts Oshie, "and I threw it up to [Nicklas Backstrom at the left point]. Backy threw it back down and it kind of jumped over my blade. When that happened, both of their [defensemen] went to Beags. I yelled for it, he heard me and just kind of threw it to an area, made a great play. I just tried to get it to the far side, and it found a way in.

"It was a great play by Beags. It starts with getting the puck deep though, as you'll see with a lot of our goals and a lot of our extended o-zone time."

About six minutes after Oshie's goal, Vrana doubled the Washington lead as time was ticking down on a Dmitry Kulikov holding penalty. Kuznetsov entered the zone with speed down the right side as Vrana went to the top of the paint, stealthily sliding his way into the midst of the four Sabres defenders. Kuznetsov threaded a short pass to Vrana, who quickly buried it for a 2-0 Washington lead at 12:39.

Starting with a Daniel Winnik hooking call at 18:29 of the second, the Capitals took for straight penalties in a span of just under 12 minutes to give the Sabres a chance to get back in the game. Finally, with less than half a minute remaining on the last of those calls. Kyle Okposo deposited the rebound of a Rasmus Ristolainen shot to make it a 2-1 game with 7:57 remaining in the third.

After playing too passively with a 3-0 lead against Boston on Wednesday, the Capitals weren't about to make the same mistake again. While pressuring the Sabres in the Buffalo end, Kuznetsov drew an interference penalty on Brian Gionta, putting the Caps on the power play with 6:32 left.

Carlson made good on that extra-man opportunity, delivering a critical late goal that restored the Capitals' two-goal lead and ended a personal goal drought at 25 games.

The puck was bouncing as it came to Carlson in the high slot, and his body position initially indicated he was going to try to make a pass. But at the last second, he wound up and fired, and it blew past Lehner to make it a 3-1 game with 5:40 left.

"You never know what you're going to get sometimes when the puck is [bouncing] like that," says Carlson. "So I know if I pass it, it's going to be fine. But at the last second, they kind of jumped to the outside and I just took a shot.

"It felt pretty good. Hopefully that's the jump I needed."

After seeing their lead trimmed to one, Carlson's goal was definitely what the Caps needed. Washington's power play has contributed a string of clutch goals of late, and this was another one for that list.

"Absolutely," says Trotz. "You talk about a big moment, [the Sabres] had just scored and had momentum. We were able to draw a penalty and then that's where you can take the game right back. You could just see once we scored that goal, their bench just sort of deflated again. That's owning the big moment for sure."

Marcus Johansson completed the scoring with an empty-netter at 18:48 of the third. The goal, his 12th of the season, ties him with Alex Ovechkin for the team lead.

Coming off a game in which they needed a Backstrom overtime goal to overcome a squandered 3-0 lead, the Capitals turned in a much more even performance from start to finish on Friday.

"I think tonight we kind of caught ourselves a little bit," says Oshie. "That tendency almost crept back into our game where we get ahead and we stop forechecking. We talked about it on the bench. The players talked about it and the coaches yelled it. [The Sabres] scored a goal and the very next shift we were in their end and forechecking. I think that drives a lot of our game. It brings a lot of energy, and you feel like you're getting some good work done out there I'm glad we caught ourselves tonight and I think we had a good finish. The [penalty kill] did a great job for us at the end there."