The Capitals won 2-1 on a late Chychrun goal to snap the Sabres’ eight-game winning streak.
After a rough start to action against the streaking Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, the Washington Capitals, relying on Charlie Lindgren to keep things within reach, were in need of a spark to turn the tide. Enter Ryan Leonard.
Leonard scored for the third consecutive game to bring his team to life, and Lindgren held down the fort while Jakob Chychrun scored the game-winner for a 2-1 victory that snapped the Sabres’ eight-game winning streak.
Here are the takeaways:
Ryan Leonard Stays Hot To Pull Capitals Into Fight
This is perhaps the most confident Ryan Leonard’s been this season, and it’s come at the perfect time for a Washington team in need of offense.
With D.C. down 1-0 early and not able to generate much through the first half of the game, Leonard took it upon himself to turn the tide.
Leonard got the puck and raced up ice, and then called his own number and again showcased his wicked shot for his 14th goal of the season to even the score at 1 and start to shift the momentum in the Capitals’ favor.
The 21-year-old now has goals in three straight and games and is riding a five-game point streak.
Ultimately, it would help pave the way for a huge two points.
Charlie Lindgren Stands Tall To Keep Capitals In It
The Sabres came out firing on all cylinders, and Charlie Lindgren was there to shut the door.
Starting after Logan Thompson played the previous night in Philadelphia, Lindgren came up with a handful of big stops to keep things within reach, including shutting down a number of Tage Thompson one-time birds and other high-danger chances from a red-hot Buffalo group.
The 32-year-old netminder was ultimately the difference for D.C., stopping 29 of 30 shots as he remained calm and collected in the crease.
Capitals Fight Back In Third, Chychrun Strikes Late For Win
After being outshot heavily through the first two periods, the Capitals came out in the third eager to flip the script, and they did just that to get the win.
Washington took control and got its share of looks while tilting the ice, outshooting the Sabres 13-4 through the final 20 minutes of play.
Then, with just 1:33 minutes to play, Aliaksei Protas found Jakob Chychrun wide open for a one timer that gave D.C. a 2-0 lead. It was Chychrun’s 23rd goal of the season and seventh game-winning goal of the year, and the assist was the 100th of Protas’ career.