Marcus Johansson gives Capitals win in OT

WASHINGTON -- Marcus Johansson scored with 2:22 left in overtime to help the Washington Capitals defeat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Verizon Center on Monday.
Johansson scored a power-play goal with 6:18 left in the third period to tie the game. He tipped in John Carlson's point shot for his 10th goal.
"It was a big win for us," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "We needed to get mad and play the right way."
Trotz said he addressed players during the second intermission but that it was up to them to get the job done.

WATCH: All Sabres vs. Capitals highlights
Jay Beagle also scored and Braden Holtby made 31 saves for the Capitals (14-7-3).
Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo scored, and Robin Lehner made 30 saves for the Sabres (9-10-6).
Girgensons scored at 5:59 of the first period to make it 1-0. He lifted a backhand shot on a breakaway behind Holtby for his second goal of the season.
Washington has allowed the first goal of the game in four straight after scoring first in 17 of 20 to start the season.

Beagle tied the game 1-1 at 5:23 of the second period after redirecting defenseman Brooks Orpik's pass in front of Lehner for his fifth goal.
Okposo gave the Sabres a 2-1 lead at 15:23 of the second. He scored on the rebound of his shot attempt. The goal was his eighth of the season.
"They had a stretch in the second," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. "We came back with a good stretch in about the last 10 minutes of the second period and again it was a good stretch of 10 minutes there where they were coming at us. They weren't getting a lot, but they were coming at us with a lot of speed, coming at us through the neutral zone and it wasn't until after the [tying] goal that we were able to get back going the other way."

Goal of the game

Girgensons scored on a two-on-one from on a pass from Derek Grant, lifting a backhand past Holtby.

Save of the game

Holtby sprawled in the crease to prevent the Sabres from scoring in the second period.

Highlight of the game

Johansson scored the game-winning goal in overtime off a one-timer in the slot. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov received the puck from Evgeny Kuznetsov and faked a shot before passing to Johansson.

Unsung moment of the game

The Capitals got a break when Sabres forward Johan Larsson's goal was overturned in the second period. Washington alleged that Larsson was offside prior to the goal and it was waved off after a review.
"I give a first star to our video guy," Trotz said. "That was huge."

They said it

"That's what we need from the power play and I think the last few years, that's what we've gotten too. We have a good power play, we've gotten results from it and just hasn't bounced our way. I think we've been making it a little bit too hard and not really taking what's there. The last two goals, just getting the puck to the net and it goes in, I think that says a lot. That's a big goal for us and it's big for our confidence moving forward." -- Forward Marcus Johansson on the Capitals' power play tying the game
"They're a team that goes to the net hard. Probably one of the hardest teams in the League that go to the net and crash and jab your goalie and get in your goalie's face. It's frustrating, obviously, when you're not playing the right way. I think they just don't go your way when you're not playing the right way." -- Capitals forward Jay Beagle on the Sabres
"It's always a big part of the game against this team. Their power play is dangerous and I thought we did a good job of killing [it] off in the first period but the second goal, the goal they needed with six minutes left, is a direct result of the penalty kill. And we had our chances on the power play. Late in the game there we had a chance. We had one earlier as well and weren't able to come up with it." -- Sabres coach Dan Bylsma on the Capitals power play

Need to know

Johansson has a four-game goal streak against the Sabres. … Bylsma said Eichel tweaked his ankle and felt a little pain after getting tangled up with Orlov in the second period but added that it's normal for that to happen after recovering from a high ankle sprain.

What's next

Sabres: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday (7 p.m. SNW, MSG-B, NHL.TV)
Capitals: Host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (8 p.m. NBCSN, TVA Sports, NHL.TV)