Home / Game Recap / Vanecek’s big day: Sabres beat Caps 4-3 in shootout

Vanecek’s big day: Sabres beat Caps 4-3 in shootout

By Peter Hassett

 2 Comments

January 24, 2021 5:53 pm

Down like a hundred players, the Washington Capitals had an afternoon date with the Buffalo Sabres that was awkward and weird and more than a little greasy, just like me in middle school.

The Caps scored first as the line formerly known as the fourth line helped Justin Schultz to his first goal with the team. The Sabres fired back in the second period with a pair of power-play goals from Miller and Olofsson respectively. Those goals were bookends for a Caps PPG from TJ Oshie.

The Sabres took the lead in the third period when Eric Staal scored on — you guessed it —  a power play. Nicklas Backstrom banked a shot from no angle off Linus Ullmark to restore a tie that pushed us yet again into overtime. Which was fun but, yet again, gave us no decision.

Shootout bullets!

  • Carlson did not put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Eichel put the biscuit in the basket. Top shelf.
  • Oshie did not put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Mittlestadt did not put the biscuit in the basket.
  • Backstrom did not put the biscuit in the basket.

Caps lose.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1/30 2/1 3/3 3/5 4/8 4/10 4/18 4/20
2/27 3/1 3/7 3/9 3/25 3/26 4/2 4/4
2/7 2/9 3/11 3/13 4/17 4/27 5/7 5/8
1/26 1/28 3/15 3/16 4/1 4/6 4/22 4/24
🤷 🤷 2/14 2/16 2/23 2/25 4/29 5/1
2/4 2/20 2/21 3/19 3/28 3/30 5/3 5/5
🌮 🌮 🌮 🤷 2/11 2/13 4/13 4/15
  • Ben Raby reported that the Caps had gone nearly a decade — since March 28 – April 5, 2011 — since they last went to overtime in four straight games.
  • Connor McMichael, 20, made his NHL debut today. He committed a penalty. He was not the only one.
  • The Caps committed three penalties in the second period — all three trips. You could (and maybe should) argue that Jonas Siegenthaler was just the victim of a make-up call, but it doesn’t erase the fact that the Caps are committing twice as many penalties as their opponents (22 to 11 through the second period of today’s game). A lot of that is a function of not having the puck enough.
  • Here’s a good previous Caps son congratulating a good current Caps son:

  • Ian and I both have made a lot of noise lately about Jakub Vrana and how he would blossom with increased ice time. He had two shot attempts today. Folks, we’re idiots. Don’t read us. Read everyone else, but skip me and Ian’s stuff.
  • Meanwhile, with all of his buddies MIA, Nicklas Backstrom came through with the hero goal on the day he passed Bonzai in games played (see above).
  • Here’s a cheap observation no one will dispute: John Carlson‘s one-timer from the Ovi Spot is not quite up to the level of its namesake. Kid was baking muffins up there.
  • It’s good that the Dowd line got a goal early, as they spent the rest of the game fighting off Eichel’s line in their own zone. Tough assignment, but they did well with it.
  • Brian Pinho and Trevor van Riemsdyk played. I got nothing.

Vitek Vanecek had a very strong game. He faced a ton of shot volume – 35 in the first two periods alone. He got beat a few times, but he sure didn’t hand Buffalo any goals on cushy rebounds. And then he faced Taylor Hall’s penalty shot and thanked his savior.

It’s still too early to draw conclusions, but I sorta wonder where Vanecek will sit in the depth chart once Samsonov recovers from COVID.

Anyway, this game was a mess. See you on Tuesday, when the Caps play Barry Trotz’s Islanders.

RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Sabres

Screenshot courtesy of NBC Sports Washington

,