Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The Sabres' win streak came to an end Thursday night as they fell in a tight battle to the Capitals 2-1. Jacob Chyrchrun netted the game winner in the final moments while Charlie Lindgren stopped 29 shots in the Washington victory.
It was the fourth line that got the Sabres on the board early as Beck Malenstyn fed Sam Carrick on a beautiful backhand feed to the net.
Washington evened things up just 2:14 into the second period as Ryan Leonard jumped on a loose puck at the Capitals blue line and went in to score on a wrister past the blocker of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Both teams would get a chance on the power play later in the second period, but neither team could break the tie as the Sabres and Capitals headed to the third period even at 1-1.
The score would remain the same until late in the third when Jacob Chychrun scored with just 1:33 remaining to give Washington the 2-1 lead. The Sabres pulled Luukkonen, but could not get one past Lindgren in the final moments to even the score as the winning streak would end at eight games.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 6:02 - Sam Carrick (6) (Beck Malenstyn, Owen Power)
WSH: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
WSH: 2:14 - Ryan Leonard (14) (Unassisted)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
WSH: 18:27 - Jacob Chychrun (23) (Aliaksei Protas, Trevor van Riemsdyk)
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STATS OF THE GAME
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Blue Star Home Services Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Jacob Chychrun (WSH)
2.) Ryan Leonard (WSH)
3.) Sam Carrick (BUF)
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What's next: The Sabres finish up their homestand as they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to KeyBank Center Saturday night for a 7:00 p.m. ET puck drop. Catch all of the action on WGR Sports Radio 550 starting with the pregame at 6:00 p.m. ET with Brian Koziol.