Game #80
Washington Capitals (37-30-11) vs. Buffalo Sabres (37-37-5)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM ET KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG-B, MNMT
Radio: WGR-550
Know Your Opponent
Washington Capitals
Record: (37-30-11)
Division Ranking: 4th in the Metropolitan Division
Last Game: 2-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings
PP Ranking: 17th (20.54%)
PK Ranking: 18th (78.70%)
What to Watch
1) Sabres Can Spoil Caps’ Wild Card Berth
The Washington Capitals currently hold the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card playoff spot. The Caps, with 85 points, hope to win out, beating Buffalo, Tampa, Boston and Philadelphia to end their regular season. The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins both have 84 points and also play each other this Thursday night.
If the Sabres win, Washington will fall a point behind the victor of the Wings-Pens’ game. The Blue and Gold can upend the Capitals’ Wild Card playoff berth with a win at home. Hockey fans in much of the Northeast and Midwest will definitely be interested in the result.
2) Buffalo Better Recent Home Record
The Buffalo Sabres enjoy a 95-69-15 all-time record against the Washington Capitals. In their last four matchups, the Sabres defeated the Caps twice at home, including their most recent meeting at KeyBank Center on April 2. Even when Buffalo played Washington on the road in D.C., both games went to either OT or a shootout.
It’s clear the Caps are an opponent the Sabres can beat, based on the latest contests. Since it’s Buffalo’s final home game of the season, fans would appreciate a win to send them off until the first puck drops for 2024-25.
3) Dahlin Will Do His Part
Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin scored a goal to help the Sabres get their second lead of the game against the Dallas Stars and now is second to Phil Housley with the most goals by a Sabres’ D-man in one season. In the absence of a captain since Kyle Okposo’s departure, No. 26 has stepped into the breach, telling the media the Sabres’ don’t have an excuse for being a young team anymore.
Expect Dahlin the play 60 minutes of hockey the way he always does, carrying the team on his shoulders in an almost Josh Allen way. Maybe other players will start to follow his example, beginning tonight.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn
Jeff Skinner – Peyton Krebs – Jordan Greenway
Zemgus Girgensons – Tyson Jost – Lukas Rousek
Defense
Owen Power – Rasmus Dahlin
Kale Clague – Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson – Connor Clifton
Goaltenders: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (confirmed starter), Eric Comrie
Washington Capitals
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin – Connor McMichael – T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas – Dylan Strome – Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty – Hendrix Lapierre – Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Defense
Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Alexander Alexeyev – Nick Jensen
Trevor van Riemsdyk – Vincent Iorio
Goaltenders: Charlie Lindgren (confirmed starter), Darcy Kuemper
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