The Caps came into Buffalo looking to get off to a quick start, establish their game, and take it to the Sabres as the road team wrapping up their back-to-back set. They did that…and then kind of forgot how to play hockey for a bit, kicking off a wild first period and then a defensive stalemate for the rest of regulation.
Plus: When the Sabres roared back with three goals to take the lead, it felt like this was going to be one of Those Games, one that could spiral out of control quickly – especially with the Caps struggling to score goals themselves.