The Caps led in the first and third periods, and Buffalo led briefly in the second frame in Sunday's exhibition opener between the two teams. But Washington lost its hold on that third period advantage, falling 4-3 to the Sabres in overtime.

Six-Pack - The Caps kick off their 2022 exhibition season - a six-pack of preseason tune-ups - when they host the Buffalo Sabres in a Sunday matinee match at Capital One Arena. Following today's tilt, the Caps will play three straight road games later this week, visiting Philadelphia on Wednesday and traveling to Detroit on Friday and Columbus on Saturday.

September 25 vs. Buffalo Sabres at Capital One Arena

Time: 2 p.m.

TV: NBCSW

Radio: Capitals Radio 24/7, 106.7 FAN

Buffalo Sabres (0-0-0)

Washington Capitals (0-0-0)

Thursday was the first day of autumn and the first day of Capitals training camp in preparation for the 2022-23 season. The local media was out in full force as the Caps hit the ice for the first time, and while some attention was paid to a handful of newcomers on the Washington camp roster, there were also some big names who were absent from Thursday's proceedings.

When it comes to great saves in Washington Capitals history, Braden Holtby's paddle stop on Vegas' Alex Tuch in the waning minutes of Game 2 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final stands head and shoulders above them all. But Holtby's distinction is limited to saves on the ice. Forty years ago this summer, a collaborative "save" was executed here in the greater DMV, one that kept the Caps from folding or merging or moving to another city, and ultimately setting the table for Holtby's heroics some three and a half decades down the road.

After bringing four new players into the organization and re-signing another on Wednesday in the first day of the NHL's annual free agency shopping season, Caps general manager Brian MacLellan kept at it on day two. The Caps have signed center Dylan Strome to a one-year contract for $3.5 million.

Having added a pair of goalies and a defenseman earlier in the day on Wednesday, Caps general manager Brian MacLellan met with the media late in the afternoon, then went back to working the phones. A couple hours later, Washington announced the acquisition of right wing Connor Brown from Ottawa in exchange for the Caps' second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Brown is heading into the final season of a three-year pact he signed with the Sens in October of 2020.

At noon on Wednesday, the NHL's indiscriminately stocked free agent emporium opened for its annual summer shopping spree. Just over an hour after the doors opened, the Capitals breezed into the store and grabbed their next starting goaltender off the shelves. Darcy Kuemper, who earned 10 of the Colorado Avalanche's 16 playoff victories in the team's run to a Stanley Cup championship last month, inked a five-year deal with Washington, a pact that will carry an annual salary cap hit of $5.25 million. The 32-year-old Kuemper is coming off a career best season in which he notched 37 regular season wins and played a career high 57 games.

Heading into the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal and the unofficial start of the offseason, the Caps were aiming to change up the goaltending situation on their NHL roster and to bring as much high-end talent into the organization as possible with the six picks they held at the outset of the draft on Thursday. Despite the obstacle of picking in the back half of every round, the Caps' hockey ops brass believes it has succeeded in adding some quality talent to the prospect cupboard here in Montreal.

Ten days have passed since the Colorado Avalanche lifted the Stanley Cup on June 26 in Tampa Bay, and late Wednesday night the coveted chalice's delayed delivery to Montreal finally took place, less than 24 hours before the start of the 2022 NHL Draft here in Quebec. After two straight years of "Zoom drafts" as a result of the ongoing pandemic, the League is conducting its draft "live" for the first time since 2019 in Vancouver. The first round of the draft will play out on Thursday night, and rounds 2-7 will follow on Friday.