Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals Match Player Stats On Dec 15, 2018

Alex Ovechkin scored in the fourth round of the shootout, and goalie Pheonix Copley then stopped a Jason Pominville shot to give the Washington Capitals a 4-3 victory over the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

Ovechkin, in regulation, already had extended his point-scoring streak to 14 games, a career best. He's now scored goals in six consecutive contests, getting hat tricks in Washington's two previous games as the Capitals have won five straight.

The 33-year-old Ovechkin has a league-best 29 goals in 32 games. He beat Buffalo goalie Carter Hutton with a quick wrist shot in the top of the fourth round of the shootout to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead.

Copley (26 saves) then denied Pominville on a low shot to give Washington a second shootout win in two nights. The Capitals defeated Carolina 6-5 in a shootout Friday.

Jack Eichel (2 goals) gave Buffalo an early 1-0 lead with his tally 2:41 into the game, right as Michal Kempny's high-sticking penalty expired. It didn't count as a power-play goal but still gave the Sabres the lead.

But Washington needed less than a minute to tie. Devante Smith-Pelly stole the puck in the Buffalo zone and fed Brett Connolly, who scored from in front 58 seconds later.

Just over six minutes later, the Capitals took the lead when Jakub Vrana scored. Vrana got the game-winner during the sixth round of Friday's shootout in Carolina. This was his 10th goal of the season.

Eichel tied the game with his second goal on a beautiful short-side shot that beat Copley at 2:25 into the second period. The Buffalo captain somehow got a shot over Copley's left shoulder for a power-play goal.

The Sabres took a 3-2 lead nearly seven minutes later on another extra-man goal when Rasmus Dahlin (goal, 2 assists) slid a shot under Copley's right leg.

But Ovechkin came through for Washington once more later in the period. He ripped a slap shot past Hutton (35 saves), tying the game at 3-3 with 6:14 remaining in the period.

Washington now has given up five power-play goals in the past two nights.

--Field Level Media