Sabres at Capitals
THE STORY: The Washington Capitals did everything new coach Dale Hunter wanted for one night, beating the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers 4-1 on Wednesday. Stretching that type of play out to two straight games just might give the Capitals some hope of making their way back up the conference ladder. Alex Ovechkin snapped a 23-game streak without a multiple-point performance with a pair of assists and was actively backchecking along with Alexander Semin. The backchecking and defensive pressure are the things Hunter has stressed, hoping an increased focus on that end will lead to more scoring opportunities. Washington should have plenty of scoring opportunities Friday when it hosts the struggling Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres dropped a 3-1 decision at New Jersey on Wednesday and have lost four of five. Buffalo has surrendered at least three goals in seven of its last eight games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), CS Washington
ABOUT THE SABRES (17-16-3): Buffalo’s lone triumph in the past five games came Monday, when it secured a 4-2 victory over the Capitals. Ryan Miller made 20 saves and the Sabres scored all four of their goals in the first 15 minutes to chase starting goaltender Michal Neuvirth. But the second and third periods, in which Buffalo was held scoreless, were what carried over to Wednesday against the Devils. The Sabres were held to less than 30 shots on goal for the 10th time in 12 games this month.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (18-15-2): Hunter is 6-6-1 since taking over for Bruce Boudreau, who was fired after a 5-1 loss to the Sabres on Nov. 26. Wednesday was undoubtedly the most complete performance Hunter has managed to extract from his team as Semin posted his first two-goal game of the season and drew praise from his coach for effort on the other end. The Capitals blocked 20 shots against the Rangers and killed off five penalties.
OVERTIME:
1. The Sabres have won both meetings this season after dropping five of the previous six.
2. Buffalo left wing Thomas Vanek has a point in six straight games.
3. Ovechkin tallied in Monday’s game against the Sabres and has 27 points in 25 career games in the series.