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The Capitals got on the board first, with a goal from Nicklas Backstrom, his sixth of the season. Backstrom’s goal came while Washington was on a 5-on-3 power play.
Washington extended its lead when Matt Bradley scored with three minutes remaining in the first period.
In the second period, David Steckel scored early to put the Capitals up 3-0. The Sabres finally got on the board, getting a power play goal from Derek Roy.
Just 48 seconds later, Jordan Leopold scored his fifth of the season, and Buffalo trailed by one.
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The Sabres have shined over the past five games, 
earning nine out of a possible ten points. Buffalo set a franchise record of five straight overtime games. Tonight, the Sabres will attempt to defeat Washington for the second time in less than a week.
The Capitals come into tonight’s game with a league-high 27 points and a 9-1 record at home. The Sabres have defeated Vancouver and Washington this week, two teams who are leading their divisions. Now, Buffalo will face the Capitals again, followed by Los Angeles, who also leads their division.
The Sabres have scored the most goals (51) in the Northeast Division, but have also allowed the most (60). Steve Montador leads the league with a plus 13 rating.
Despite having a power play unit ranked 28th and a penalty kill unit ranked 23rd, the Sabres are finding ways to win games. 25 percent of the Sabres goals are coming from the defense, which is something Buffalo hasn’t seen in a while.