Main storyline: The Buffalo Sabres (19-43-6) have had it tough as of late losing six straight games, and only earning one point in that streak. Buffalo will have a chance to end the streak Monday on home-ice once again as the Sabres host the Washington Capitals (37-23-10) at the First Niagara Center.
Season series: Monday is the final meeting between Buffalo and Washington, and both teams so far have split the season series. The last meeting came back on March 7 when the Sabres fell to the Capitals 6-1 in Washington. Johan Larsson got the Sabres ahead early in the game, but the Caps came back with six unanswered goals to grab the win. The only other meeting between the two franchises came on November 22 when the Sabres won 2-1. With 7:42 left on the clock in the third period, former Sabre Torrey Mitchell gave Buffalo the 2-1 lead, while another former Sabre Jhonas Enroth made 43-saves to help give Buffalo the win.
Where they stand: It has been the same ol’ song and dance with the Sabres in the basement for a majority of the season. Buffalo still sits four points behind the Edmonton Oilers for 29th place, and six points behind the Arizona Coyotes for 28th. Edmonton is at home to play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, while the Coyotes are in Los Angeles to play the Kings as well. Washington is sitting relatively pretty right now in the Eastern Conference as the Capitals are sitting in the first wild card spot just two points ahead of the Boston Bruins, and seven points ahead of the Ottawa Senators, who are the closest team to a playoff spot in the East. Washington remains four points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Recent performance: The Sabres came back home following a lengthy road trip only to be shut out by a red hot New York Rangers team starting its third string goaltender for the second time against the Sabres this season. MacKenzie Skapski made all 20 saves against the Sabres in only his second career start, and extended his shutout streak to 119:46 against Buffalo this season. For the Capitals, the team played the Bruins on Sunday shutting them out 2-0 at home. Washington got goals from John Carlson and Nate Schmidt while Braden Holtby made 32 saves on the Bruins to keep them off the scoresheet.
Buffalo notes: Nothing much has changed for the Sabres during this time of struggle. The Sabres have failed to put the puck on net, lines continue to look for chemistry, and any leads that are taken during the game are squandered early. If there has been one aspect of the Sabres game the entire year that has been promising is goaltending. It was Jhonas Enroth, then Michal Neuvirth, now it is Anders Lindback. Lindback’s statistics may not have been good when he came to Buffalo in the Enroth trade, but his game has improved on the ice. Lindback has yet to get a win for the Sabres, but he has sported a 2.50 goals against average and a .916 save-percentage. With the season-ending injury to Chad Johnson, Lindback will be relied on for the remainder of the season. He will get the start once again on Monday in Buffalo.
Washington notes: The Capitals have been a scoring machine this season, but that is primarily due to having two of the top scorers in the league on the roster. Captain Alex Ovechkin lead the NHL with 45 goals, six more than second place Rick Nash, and Nicklas Backstrom leads the NHL with 53 assists, five more points that Sidney Crosby and Jakub Voracek. Of the 205 goals the Capitals have scored this season, Ovechkin and Backstrom have accounted for 63 of them, which is nearly 31-percent of the team’s goals. Washington has also gotten some stellar goaltending from Braden Holtby. Hotly is in the top 10 in many of the goaltending stats including wins, goals against severe, save percentage, and shutouts. Hotlby is going to get the start once again versus the Sabres.
Conclusion: The Sabres continue to look for answers, and will try to break its skid on Monday against Washington. Opening face-off is scheduled for 7pm. The game can be seen on NBCSN, and you can hear Rick and Rob on WGR 550 AM.