Second period proves costly as comeback falls short vs. Capitals

As the dying seconds ticked off the clock at KeyBank Center on Monday afternoon, Evander Kane found himself alone at the side of the net. Ryan O'Reilly made a quick pass to find him through a pair of defenders, and Kane lifted the puck into the net uncontested.
The goal was scored with 3.3 seconds remaining. There was no raucous cheer from the crowd, no late-game celebration on the ice. For the Buffalo Sabres, it was another example of a push made too late, a footnote in a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Just 22 seconds prior to Kane's goal, Rasmus Ristolainen slammed his stick on the other end of the ice after Evgeny Kuznetsov scored an empty-net goal for the Capitals. The Sabres had outshot the Capitals 17-5 after beginning the third period down 2-0, only to see another comeback fall short.
"That happens in a game," said Kyle Okposo, who scored to put the Sabres on the board with 7:18 remaining. "A team's down, they come out with a push, and I thought our push was really good. Some teams are able to have that push all the time, that's how they play. We're just not there yet.
"We've got to figure out a way to be able to come with that push."

Against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, the Sabres were disappointed with their effort in the first period of an eventual 4-2 loss. They came out stronger against Washington. If the scoreless first period wasn't exactly eventful, Okposo said, it was at least played well defensively.
The deciding factor in this game was the second period, when Washington received a pair of goals from Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. Ovechkin planted himself in front of Chad Johnson and got his stick on a shot from Christian Djoos to open the scoring just 1:18 into the period.
Carlson scored his goal from behind the Buffalo net as Johnson attempted to corral a loose puck. Okposo was able to kick the puck away as it neared the goal line, but both he and Johnson figured it had crossed. Initially ruled no goal, the call was overturned upon video review.
Those were the only goals Johnson would allow in a 27-save performance, but they were all the Capitals needed.
"The second period, for me, is the difference," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "The missed pucks through the neutral zone, then at times we looked really slow because we didn't get pucks deep and now you're playing defense.
"… I like the way we responded in the third. We were one shot away from tying the game. It's unfortunate, but I really like the way we responded in the third. That's the type of hockey we're looking for for 60 minutes."
Okposo scored to cut the deficit in half, his 17th points (4+13) in 18 games. The goal was an example of what worked for the Sabres throughout the third period: Scott Wilson took a quick shot from the top of the slot, and the puck deflected off Okposo's leg as he crossed in front of Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer.

The assist was Wilson's fifth point (3+2) in six games. Evan Rodrigues, who earned the secondary assist, has six points (2+4) in seven games.
"I was just trying to battle to get to the net," Okposo said. "E-Rod made a great play and it hit me in the back of the leg. [I'll] take it, but I thought we did a lot of that in the third period. We just got pucks and bodies to the net. We do need more of that."
Kane said the team's abundance of shots in the third period stemmed from their tenacity in the offensive zone.
"We were forechecking," he said. "We weren't worried about playing defense. I think a good defense is a great offense and a good forecheck because you spend a lot more time in the other team's zone. We did that most of the third."
With the Capitals coming into the game on the heels of a 7-1 loss in Chicago, Housley called on the Sabres to brace themselves for a push from the Metropolitan Division's top team. In that regard, he thought their effort was a step in the right direction from the loss to Los Angeles.
The next step is to combine consistent effort with execution, as they did in recent wins over Boston and Tampa Bay.
"The result we definitely don't like," Housley said. "We want to win at home here. But against a really good hockey team, I can't fault our guys for the effort."

Lehner sits out due to injury

Robin Lehner was scratched for the game due to a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.
Linus Ullmark was recalled Monday morning to serve as Johnson's backup but was reassigned to Rochester shortly after the game ended.

Up next

The Sabres will begin a two-game road trip against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Coverage on MSG-B begins at 7 p.m. with the GMC Game Night Pregame Show, or you can listen live on WGR 550. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30.
The team returns home on Sunday to host the Boston Bruins at 5 p.m. Family Packs - which include four 300-level tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas and four popcorns - are available here.