Game 34: 43-20-10-3 (PTS-W-L-OT) Streak - L1
Friday December 21, 2018 Buffalo Sabres @ Washington Capitals
Place: Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSWA, NBCSN, SN, TVAS
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7
NHL.COM for Live Box Score
Last Game: Wed December 19 Capitals Lost 2-1 against Penguins
Next Game: Sat December 22, 7:00pm ET Capitals @ Senators
 8-Ovechkin | 19-Bäckström | 77-Oshie |
| 13-Vrana | 92-Kuznetsov | 43-Wilson |
| 65-Burakovsky | 20-Eller | 10-Connolly |
| 18-Stephenson | 26-Dowd | 25-Smith-Pelly |
| 6-Kempny | 74-Carlson |
| 9-Orlov | 2-Niskanen |
| 34-Siegenthaler | 22-Bowey |
|
| 70-Holtby (starter) |
| 1-Copley |
-- SCRATCH -- | 23-Jaskin |
| 72-Boyd |
| 78-Lewington |
-- INJURED RESERVE -- | 44-Orpik (Knee Surgery, 1-2 weeks before return) |
| 29-Djoos (Thigh Surgery, many weeks before return) |
-- 1st Powerplay Unit -- | 92-Kuznetsov | 19-Bäckström | 77-Oshie |
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit -- | 13-Vrana | 20-Eller | 43-Wilson |
Referees: Ghislain Hebert (#22), Francis Charron (#6)
Linesmen: Jonny Murray (#95), Pierre Racicot (#65)
Sabres LINEUP Jeff Skinner -- Jack Eichel -- Sam Reinhart
Conor Sheary -- Vladimir Sobotka -- Evan Rodrigues
Zemgus Girgensons -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Kyle Okposo
Remi Elie -- Johan Larsson -- Tage Thompson
Rasmus Dahlin -- Zach Bogosian
Lawrence Pilut -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Matt Hunwick -- Matt Tennyson
Carter Hutton (Starter)
Linus Ullmark
Scratched: Jason Pominville, Nathan Beaulieu, Scott Wilson
Injured: Marco Scandella (upper body), Jake McCabe (lower body), Casey Nelson (upper body)
Suspended: Patrik Berglund
1st PeriodNone
2nd Period02:50 SH GOAL 18-Stephenson, assist 26-Dowd 1-0 WSH
3rd Period09:01 Sabres GOAL Larsson, assists Thompson & Ristoleinen 1-1 TIE
13:00 GOAL 43-Wilson, assist 92-Kuznetsov 2-1 WSH
FINAL: 2-1 WSH
By Alex Hayes (@smoothandsaucy) on December 21, 2018
Andre Burakovsky returns to lineup against Buffalo after being a healthy scratch for four-straight games
Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk
After losing 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday, Capitals’ head coach Todd Reirden is altering his lines — albeit subtly.
Andre Burakovsky will be back in the lineup for Friday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.
It will be Burakovsky’s first game in nearly two weeks — a December 8 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Reirden slotted Burakovsky back on the third line alongside Lars Eller and Brett Connolly. Chandler Stephenson will also make his way back onto the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Devante Smith-Pelly. Travis Boyd and Dmitrij Jaskin will be the healthy scratches.
“I think if you find chemistry with some guys, it’s going to stick with those guys,” Burakovsky said about reuniting with both Eller and Connolly. “I like playing with Lars and Conno a lot so it’s going to be fun to go back in with those two tonight.”
“Lars is always a good two-way player, really strong on the puck and can do some individual stuff. And Conno is a really good shooter and I can bring some speed to the line,” Burakovsky continued. “I think we have all the tools to be successful.”
On the blueline, the defensive pairings will stay the same. Braden Holtby will start in net for his second-straight game.
Burakovsky getting a jersey is news. The Swedish forward missed four-straight games as a healthy scratch, and the Capitals are getting calls about the 23-year-old forward from other teams.
“Other players had taken more advantage of the opportunity than he had recently,” Reirden said days after Burakovsky’s first scratch. “For me, it’s a rewards/earned ice time situation where there’s a lot of competition.”
Burakovsky was also critical of his own play in the Capitals’ 4-2 win over the Coyotes on Thursday, December 6.
“I wasn’t really there today,” Burakovsky said. “I had a tough one. Puck was bouncing and got away from me all of the time. Obviously, I did a mistake on their first goal.”
Burakovksy is in the final year of his two-year, $3 million AAV contract, that many saw as a bridge deal for the forward to reach his full potential. However, Burakovsky’s play has continued to decline the past couple of months, and his future in Washington remains in question.
For now, Burakovsky trade speculation is on the hold, as the NHL entered its eight-day holiday roster freeze on Wednesday.
The Sabres have dealt with their own internal issues, as the team placed Patrick Berglund on unconditional waivers after the forward refused to report to practice. Berglund cleared and forfeited almost $5 million dollars of his remaining contract.
Aside from this messy divorce, the Sabres are off to their best start in years and sit in the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Divison.
