Here you can check for updates and post comments for the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers game on February 25, 2023.
The Washington Capitals have just two games left before the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline. The first of those games is in Buffalo, where the young, up-and-coming Sabers host a Caps team that has won just three of their last ten.
Darcy Kuemper will start consecutive net days for the Caps. Kümper has given up three or more goals in five straight starts and in 12 of his last 17. He’ll look to end that against the Sabers if he comes straight back into the net after beating Rangers on Saturday.
Sunday’s matinee matchup will be on NBC Sports Washington and puck drop-off at the KeyBank Center will be just after 1 p.m.
connections
lines
Lineys!#CapsSabres | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/0ZeKGFTOD2
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 26, 2023
pre-game gimmicks
It’s early but that might be the funnest thing you’ll see today pic.twitter.com/lISAylSewS
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 26, 2023
1st period
Milano-Strome-Oshie and Fehervary-Jensen are the first. Darcy Kuemper meets Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the net.
Huge chances for TJ Oshie, Jack Quinn and Alex Ovechkin in the first ninety seconds of the contest. Both goalies make their first big stops.
Luukkonen stops Nicolas Aube-Kubel on a breakaway. Ridiculous pace to start the afternoon.
🚨 1-0 Sabers. Dylan Cozens ends a big rush opportunity. So many very fast, very good young players on this Buffalo team.
It’s Cozens again, using his speed to create a breakaway, but this time Kuemper is ready for it.
🚨 1:1 draw. The puck goes down the other end and Nick Jensen finds Dylan Strome for a quick reaction goal.
🚨 2-1 sabers. Evgeny Kuznetsov turned and sent a blind backhand pass straight into the slot to Tage Thompson. Thompson tore home his 40th of the season.
🚨 2-2 draw. They barely dropped the puck for the faceoff after Thompson scored and Dylan Strome found TJ Oshie on the edge of the net to tie things back up. Four goals in his last three games for Osh.
So ended period one. An absolutely crazy back and forth.
2nd period
🚨 3-2 sabers. Jeff Skinner cleans up some loose change behind Kuemper.
🚨 4-2 sabers. Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons make Matt Irwin and Dylan McIlrath look silly, bringing Buffalo to two.
🚨 5-2 sabers. Vinnie Hinostroza adds another. The Sabers went through the Caps as if they didn’t exist. Kuemper snaps his racquet on the goal frame and Charlie Lindgren takes over for him.
Darcy Kuemper, breaking his cane and throwing away his mask, is every Capitals fan this season
🚨 6-2 sabers. Dylan Cozens is no nicer to Lindgren than he is to Kuemper. The kid can absolutely fly and has the finish to boot.
🚨 6-3 sabers. Alex Ovechkin jammed home his 33rd marker of the season. Ovi is first in February after going six games without one.
Alex Ovechkin looks to the sky after scoring the first goal since the death of his father Mikhail
🚨 6-4 sabers. Sonny Milano finds a breakaway and makes no mistake on a forward-backhand move past Luukkonen.
Matt Irwin tried to give the Sabers a seventh goal, but Charlie Lindgren was ready to stop Skinner on the buzzer. Six goals in total in that second frame. Absolute chaos.
3rd period
Nick Jensen in the pits to hook. Big kill here for the caps.
🚨 7-4 sabers. Dylan Cozens completes his hat trick as he stays wide open just in front of the net. What a ridiculously impressive performance from him.
A frustrated Nic Dowd takes a cross-check penalty out of play.
The third was a bit sleepy, especially compared to the rest of the game. The Sabers are two points ahead of the Caps in the standings with four games remaining.
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