1. Buffalo returned from a two-week layoff with one goal in a loss to the New York Islanders on Monday, then got shut out in a rematch the following night. Krueger said he liked much of what he saw in terms of defensive habits during the latter game but felt the Sabres' timing on chances kept them off the board.
For a moment, it seemed as though the Sabres had recaptured that timing during the first period on Thursday. Eric Staal won a battle in the offensive zone and freed the puck to Sam Reinhart, who surprised goaltender Vitek Vanecek by lofting a shot from high in the right faceoff circle.
The goal light flashed but play never stopped as officials accurately ruled that Reinhart's shot had deflected off the far-side post and back through the crease. Minutes later, Jeff Skinner hit iron on a chance off the rush.
Instead, it was Washington that drew first blood when Nicklas Backstrom cleaned up a loose puck in the crease on a power play later in the first period.
"It is certainly a confidence level that you need to have here to stick with a game where you're not being rewarded for it," Krueger said. "We were pleased with the way we came out of the gate. We had a good movement, good speed, good puck movement.
"As soon as we didn't have the success we wanted to have, we started complicating things. We were making plays trying to make touchdowns instead of getting short yardage to kind of get down into their end the way we were doing it early on."
2. The Sabres' power play - a consistent weapon for the team this season - had a chance to erase the 1-0 deficit when T.J. Oshie was called for high-sticking early in the second period. Instead, a series of miscues led to the Capitals doubling their lead.
Taylor Hall skated toward four Washington penalty killers as he carried the puck over the offensive blue line. He passed back to Reinhart, who was unable to handle the puck before being engaged along the boards by Tom Wilson. Rasmus Dahlin attempted to help but was inadvertently screened by Reinhart as Wilson came away with the puck and scored on a 2-on-0 rush.
"It's a tough play by me," Reinhart said. "I'm trying to make the play to Ras, I think, originally in the middle. I wasn't able to handle it and you almost just need to make the simple play there and get the puck in and work for it back."
It was another turnover that led to Washington's third goal, scored by Conor Sheary at 7:28 of the third period. Dahlin carried the puck up the ice and had it taken by Justin Schultz in the neutral zone, initiating an odd-man rush. Linus Ullmark made an initial save on Lars Eller, but Sheary was alone for the rebound.
3.Ullmark made 18 saves, including a save-of-the-year candidate that preserved what was still a scoreless game during the first period. Sheary appeared to have a wide-open net after receiving a pass through the middle, but the goaltender sprawled to his right, swung his stick in the air and slapped the puck away with the side of his blocker.
Watch it below.
