Too many turnovers, amongst other mishaps, led to another scoreless game for Buffalo.
The Capitals started on the board first with a goal from Evgeny Kuznetsov, with 1:14 left in the first. The Sabres (6-17-4) have only scored first eight times this season and had only 2 shots on goal within 20 minutes of play.
| Per. | Time | EV | Goal | Assist | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18:46 |  Evgeny Kuznetsov (3) | Justin Schultz (9) | Conor Sheary (3) | |
| 2 | 2:41 | Nicklas Backstrom (11) | T.J. Oshie (13) | Nick Jensen (9) | |
| 2 | 5:59 | Richard Panik (3) | Dmitry Orlov (1) | --- | |
| 2 | 15:07 | Daniel Sprong (6) | Nick Jensen (10) | --- | |
| 3 | 6:46 | Garnet Hathaway (4) | Justin Schultz (19) | Carl Hagelin (5) | |
| 3 | 16:21 | Alex Ovechkin (11) | Conor Sheary (4) | --- |
Nicklas Backstrom and Richard Panik scored within 3:18 of each other in the second period. Backstrom off the rebound at 2:41 and a one-timer from Panik at 5:59.
A delayed penalty was called after Zdeno Chara’s skate caught Curtis Lazar in the face. The officials called high sticking but after much review, the penalty was retracted. Lazar returned to the ice in the third period.
The Sabres were unable to come up with any shots on goal on a 3-on-1 opportunity.
oy vey – botched 3 on 1 #LetsGoBuffalo #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/bleESCODAR
— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) March 16, 2021
At 15:07, Daniel Sprong hit the top of the net on a breakaway after Sam Reinhart lost the puck — bringing the Cap lead to 4-0. The Sabres had just 9 shots on goal at the end of the second period.
At 6:46 in the third period, Garnet Hathaway deflected a point shot from teammate Justin Schultz, bringing the score to 5-0. Buffalo killed the penalty after Taylor Hall hooked Alex Ovechkin. With 3:40 left, Ovechkin made it 6-0. With his goal, Ovechkin tied Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL’s all-time scoring list with 717 goals. The Sabres had 14 shots on goal in the third period.
Vitek Vanecek earned his first career shutout with 23 saves. Carter Hutton, in his second consecutive start, saved 24 of 30 shots. The Sabres have been shutout 6 times this season, this is the second consecutive. They have now lost 11 games consecutively. This was the Capitals (18-6-4) sixth win in a row and their fifth straight on the road.
Dylan Cozens sat out with the taxi squad Monday night, still day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
The Sabres see a quick turnaround and are once again underdogs in an away game against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night at 7 p.m.