Caps Take on Sabres in Buffalo

December 11 vs. Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: NBCSW
Radio:Capitals Radio 24/7, 106.7 FAN
Washington Capitals (16-5-6)
Buffalo Sabres (8-15-3)

The Caps open a three-game road swing on Saturday night in Buffalo against the Sabres. For both Washington and Buffalo, Saturday's game is the second of a set of back-to-back games. The Capitals concluded a four-game homestand on Friday with a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins while the Sabres suffered a 2-1 defeat to the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center.
Washington's run of seven straight home games with a point (6-0-1) came to a halt in Saturday's loss to the Penguins. The Caps fell down by a goal late in the first period and were down 3-0 going into the third. They rallied with goals from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller in the final period, but it was too little, too late.
"For the most part, we got a lot of pucks deep," says Eller. "But [the Penguins] were able to break it out and our third forward, who was supposed to be backing the [defense] up, didn't always do that good of a job. So they raced us up ice, and they beat us; we were like half a step behind - or one step behind - a lot of the time.
"They were getting a lot of odd-man rushes that we usually don't give up, so we've got to tighten up a little bit more, be on our toes. I don't know if we were cheating or thought we could get away with it, but we've got to tighten up."

In addition to the Friday night loss to the Penguins, the Caps also lost two key performers in the second period of the Pittsburgh game, and the status of both players for Saturday's contest against the Sabres is still unknown. Defenseman Martin Fehervary took a high hit from Pittsburgh's Brock McGinn and did not return to the game, and right wing Tom Wilson was injured after losing his footing and barreling into Pens goalie Tristan Jarry and the Pittsburgh net late in the second.
Both Fehervary and Wilson have played in all 27 Capitals games to date this season, a list that has shrunk to just eight players, four of them defensemen. The Caps have a trio of players - forwards Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk - in COVID-19 protocol, and it's uncertain as to when any of the three might be able to return to action.
Washington is currently carrying two extra skaters, center Mike Sgarbossa and defenseman Dennis Cholowski, neither of whom dressed for Friday's game. Both would likely suit up on Saturday against the Sabres if Fehervary and/or Wilson are unable to answer the bell.
Twenty-seven games deep into the season, the Caps have yet to go more than a game without collecting a point, a streak they'll aim to keep rolling on Saturday against the Sabres.
"You don't really have time to dwell on it, which could be a good thing for us," says Caps defenseman John Carlson. "I don't think we've had our best stuff as of late, but we've been overall playing really well. I think the quick turnaround right now could be advantageous to us."

The Caps have yielded 2.52 goals per game this season, which ranks fourth in the NHL. But that number has quietly crept higher as of late, as Washington has now yielded three or more goals in seven of its last nine games.
Buffalo also has a lengthy injury list at the moment, and the Sabres have already employed five different netminders thus far this season. That list includes veteran Craig Anderson, who got into four regular season and two playoff games with Washington last season, a season in which he spent most of his time on the taxi squad.
Anderson, who turned 40 during the Caps' brief playoff foray last spring, signed with the Sabres as a free agent over the summer. He and journeyman Dustin Tokarski started the season as Buffalo's netminding tandem, but Anderson went down with an upper body injury and hasn't played since Nov. 2. Tokarski is on the COVID-19 protocol list. With four wins each, Anderson and Tokarski have accounted for all eight Buffalo victories this season.
The Sabres are also playing without goalie Malcolm Subban, acquired in a trade with Chicago earlier this month. Subban was injured in his first start with the Sabres, leaving Aaron Dell and rookie Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen to handle the goaltending chores for Buffalo.