Buffalo (4-7-2) faced the full force of the Washington Capitals (8-4-3) as they drop their fourth straight game in Capital One Arena. Victor Olofsson with the only goal on the powerplay highlights the Sabres continued struggle to generate offense in even strength situations.
| Per. | Time | EV | Goal | Assist | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17:23 | PPG |  Nicklas Backstrom (8) | T.J. Oshie (7) | Alex Ovechkin (9) |
| 2 | 6:38 | SHG | Tom Wilson (6) | --- | --- |
| 3 | 7:28 | Conor Sheary (4) | Lars Eller (4) | Justin Schultz (6) | |
| 3 | 11:27 | PPG |  Victor Olofsson (6) | Jack Eichel (10) | Kyle Okposo (1) |
The mounting frustration boiled over as Rasmus Dahlin breaks his stick on the end boards after blocking a shot on the empty net as the buzzer sounds. Buffalo is a -12 in five on five play and cannot seem to find a winning combination despite fairly constant line shuffling by Ralph Krueger. Rasmus Ristolainen still missing from the lineup may have played a role, but overall not even the top line has been able to generate consistent pressure.
Count on @vickeo 👊#LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/t2YJVCrRVU
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 19, 2021
The Sabres did outshoot the Capitals 23 to 21 through the game, and even rang a few early posts to indicate they were coming out firing. The effort only resulted in Olofsson able to put his shot past Vitek Vanecek on the powerplay despite many loose puck and second chance opportunities that Buffalo could not finish.
“I think we’re there, we’re around the net. We just can’t find the puck and that second chance opportunity.” – Victor Olofsson
The Capitals on the other hand took full advantage of opportunities handed to them by the Sabres. Niklas Backstrom and Conor Sheary both put home goals off rebounds and Tom Wilson found the back of the net shorthanded after an errant pass by Taylor Hall. The Sabres need to be able to reduce these sort of chances for their opponents and take advantage of them when they get them.
“This is now persistence and character that we will need to have in order to stick with it.” – Ralph Krueger
With missed shots and opportunities, the Sabres will need to dig deep to make break the losing streak. Buffalo will look to bounce back on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils (6-3-2) in the Prudential Center at 12:30 PM.