Sabres at Capitals
They made not need him, but the Washington Capitals much rather would have Alex Ovechkin in the lineup than on the sideline for Saturday night's tilt with the lowly Buffalo Sabres. Ovechkin, who leads the NHL with 43 goals, is considered questionable for Saturday's game after suffering a lower-body injury that kept him out of Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Sabres solidified their standing as the worst team in the NHL with Friday's 3-2 loss to host Ottawa.
While the addition of Ovechkin would take much of the pressure off the Washington offense, the defense and goaltending have proven capable for most of the season. The Capitals boast a top-five mark in fewest goals against coming into the weekend, and looked solid for better than 49 minutes Thursday before falling apart late against the Wild. Buffalo represents an ideal bounce-back opponent, having scored just 57 goals in its first 32 road games on the season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG-B (Buffalo), CSN-DC (Washington)
ABOUT THE SABRES (19-41-5): As hard as it may have been to stomach yet another heartbreaking loss, Buffalo fans did catch a glimpse of what could be a very bright future. Philip Varone was the Sabres' offensive star against the Senators, using his blazing speed to score his third goal of the season while adding an assist. Varone, a fifth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2009, has been one of the more prolific players in the American Hockey League, but the 24-year-old has yet to carry that over into the NHL, entering Saturday with just six points in 20 career games.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (35-21-10): Ovechkin gave it a go in Friday's practice, skating around for a short while before leaning into a slapshot and skating over to coach Barry Trotz bent over at the waist. After a quick chat, Ovechkin left the ice and didn't return - and wasn't required to meet with the media afterward. "He was just seeing if there was any pain and he had a little bit, so I said just go," Trotz told reporters after practice. "He's probably questionable for (Saturday). But his injury should come around fairly quickly."
OVERTIME
1. The teams have played five straight one-goal games, with four of those decided in extra time.
2. Buffalo has won just three of its last 10 visits to the U.S. capital.
3. Ovechkin has 22 goals and 14 assists in 34 games against the Sabres.