Capitals at Sabres
Vezina Trophy candidate Braden Holtby looks to continue his remarkable season and match a franchise record as his Washington Capitals visit the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Holtby has not lost in regulation since Nov. 10 and has earned at least one point in 22 straight games, one shy of Jose Theodore’s team mark set in 2010 (20-0-3).
Holtby leads the league in victories (28) and is in the top three in both save percentage (.933) and goals-against average (1.90). The Capitals have won five straight contests and earned a point in all six this month (5-0-1), while the Sabres are 2-7-0 in their last nine after dropping a 4-1 decision to Boston on Friday. Buffalo’s Robin Lehner was back in net for the first time since the season opener, which should mean Chad Johnson gets the start on Saturday. The Sabres likely will be without Zemgus Girgensons after he suffered an upper-body injury in the first period Friday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN-DC Plus (Washington), MSG, BELL TV (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (33-7-3): Washington continues to get big numbers from an abundance of forwards as the team ranked second in the league in scoring and on the power play through Thursday. Nicklas Backstrom has recorded three goals and six assists in his last seven games, tying Evgeny Kuznetsov for the team lead with 41 points, while captain Alex Ovechkin tops the club with 26 goals – five in his last four contests. Veteran Justin Williams has been a force as well, recording two goals, two assists and a plus-4 rating in his last three contests.
ABOUT THE SABRES (17-23-4): Buffalo outshot the Bruins 34-31 on Friday but only could manage a first-period goal from veteran David Legwand while going 0-for-4 on the power play. Leading scorer Ryan O’Reilly (17 goals, 20 assists) saw his four-game point streak come to an end and rookie phenom Jack Eichel has been held without a tally in the last five games while posting a minus-7 rating in that span. Evander Kane has gone nine games without a goal but is averaging 4.1 shots per game during that stretch, including five on Friday.
OVERTIME
1. Capitals veteran C Mike Richards, signed as a free agent earlier this month, could make his debut either Saturday or Sunday versus the New York Rangers.
2. Buffalo D Mark Pysyk (foot), who has not played since Nov. 17, could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday.
3. Washington's Ryan Stanton was recalled for insurance with fellow Ds Brooks Orpik and John Carlson still not ready to return.