"Sometimes the third periods get a little sluggish," said Caps right wing T.J. Oshie after Tuesday's victory. "You just hope that doesn't leak in in the next game and tonight I don't think it did for us from the previous game. And hopefully it'll continue to get that kind of sluggishness out from the third period when you get up by three, four or five goals."
Washington's power play has scored three goals in each of its last two games, going 6-for-9 (66.7%) overall. In their last four games, the Caps are 8-for-17 (47.1%) with the extra man.
For the Caps, it's the first time they've had consecutive games with three or more power-play goals since Dec. 3-5, 2009. Washington was 3-for-3 on the power play in Tuesday's win over the Flyers, the first time in nearly 30 years that it was perfect with the extra man in a game in which it had three or more opportunities. The Caps were 4-for-4 on the power play in a March 20, 1992 game against the Flyers.
"Guys are moving the puck pretty quick," says Laviolette of his team's power play. "I think all options are in play. You see that man in the middle open up quite a bit [and] the shot from the point. If the far side gets taken away, you have to find opportunities on the interior and I think the guys have done a really good job of that. Once you start getting the opportunities on the interior, then it opens up everywhere. And so I think the puck movement has been really good, and the details have been really good."
The Caps conducted an optional practice on Wednesday at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, and shortly after the conclusion of practice, Washington announced a two-year contract extension for forward Conor Sheary.
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sheary also played for Buffalo before signing a one-year deal with the Caps in December. The fit here in the District has been good for both player and team, so Sheary and the Caps agreed on a two-year pact with the versatile winger at a salary cap hit of $1.5 million per season. Sheary has 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists) in 40 games this season.
With Tuesday's win, the Caps have won eight of their last 10 games at Capital One Arena. The Capitals depart the District for a four-game road swing after Thursday's game against Buffalo, but they will close out the season with six of their last eight games at home, and they'll be permitted to have fans in attendance for those games, to 10 percent of capacity.
After suffering the aforementioned loss to the Caps last Friday in Buffalo, the Sabres have been out on a three-game road trip that concludes with Thursday's game in Washington. Buffalo put a serious crimp in the Flyers' playoff hopes with a 5-3 win in Philadelphia in the trip opener, and the Sabres followed up with a 3-2 shootout loss on Tuesday night in Boston.
The Sabres endured an 18-game losing streak (0-15-3) from Feb. 25-March 29, the longest in the NHL this season. Buffalo has rallied some since, pulling at least a point from seven of its last nine games (4-2-3).
Washington has won six of the seven meetings (6-0-1) between the two teams this season. The Caps' lone loss to the Sabres came in the District on Jan. 24 in a 4-3 shootout decision.
