Lyon Struggles Again, Sabres Can’t Recover
Score: Buffalo Sabres 2-6 Washington Capitals
Shots: BUF 39-28 WASH
Buffalo Sabres Goals: Dahlin 18th (Norris, Tuch) Malenstyn 7th (Greenway, Dahlin)
Washington Capitals: Chychrun 25th (Ovechkin, Dubois) Strome 18th (Protas, Ovechkin) McMichael 11th (Chychrun, Dubois) Protas 24th (unassisted) Leonard 17th (Hutson, Sourdif) Wilson 29th SHG (McMichael)
Playoff Bound!
THAT is the good news. The Buffalo Sabres clinched a playoff berth before they even took the ice in Washington. The Rangers defeating the Red Wings in regulation sealed the deal for our boys. It was a little anticlimactic for the Sabres, as I’m sure they wanted to win to get in. But this team has worked hard and amazed us most of the season and deserve to be in the spot they are. The 14 years of agony and despair are over. The New York Jets of the NFL now own the Claim of Shame, moving to 15 years of no playoffs all by their lonesome. Buffalo, most assuredly, will not be joining them this April. The Sabres punched their ticket to the post season with team effort and a new found fortitude.
Now the bad news, the very bad news.
Minus 1: Sleepwalking Sabres
It’s hard to understand how the better team that just clinched a playoff spot could come out so FLAT. I won’t make you relive it besides to tell you that the Sabres fell behind 3-0 quickly with only 2 saves on 5 shots for starter Alex Lyon. (Chychrun, Strome and McMichael scored for the Caps) Sloppy defense was mostly to blame but Lyon has now underpermormed in three straight. Lindy Ruff called a timeout after two goals against, then pulled Lyon after giving up the third. Colten Ellis replaced him in net.
Buffalo woke up and answered after the change in goal. Rasmus Dahlin scored his 18th of the season with some slick moves in front to beat the Caps’ Logan Thompson. Josh Norris made a nice pass along the wall after pulling up quickly and dishing the puck to the Sabres’ captain. It was a much needed goal after things were spiraling out of control to start. About 6 minutes later, Buffalo got right back into the game as 4th line guru Beck Malenstyn cashed in on a loose puck in front for his 7th of the season. Rasmus Dahlin did a nice job keeping the puck at the blue line then shot it towards the goal. The puck jumbled around with Jordan Greenway in front before Beck found it and fired it home. Buffalo thankfully made it a one goal game when it looked like they were going to get blown out of the building.
The Caps led 3-2 after one period as the shell-shocked Sabres crawled their way back into it. Buffalo outshot Washington 13-11 with Ellis making 6 saves. Tampa Bay beat the Bruins to move two points up on the Sabres at this point and I’m sure the team found that out during the intermission.
Apr 4, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Minus 2: Powerless Play
Buffalo came out with some jump, especially from the 4th line. But they did break down again as the Caps had a breakaway on Ellis, who came up with the stop. The Sabres then took a penalty, first call of the game for either team. Zack Benson went for interference. Buffalo did a nice job killing it off until Washington took a penalty of their own. Ryan Leonard tripped up Mattias Samuelsson to even it up. After an odd man rush for the Sabres, the Caps came right back with a 2 on 1 and scored as Aliaksei Protas never passed, just fired the puck past Ellis. It was a deflating goal to give up 4 on 4 as the Caps moved ahead 4-2. The Sabres did nothing with their abbreviated power play.
Buffalo got another man advantage chance after a tripping call with 9 minutes left in the period. During the power play, Jason Zucker skated off gingerly after being hurt but returned after another call on Washington. The Sabres had a 5 on 3 for 36 seconds but couldn’t score right until the end of the 2nd call. They didn’t even generate many chances, as the Caps cleared it repeatedly. Once again the power play came up empty for this team when they really needed it.
Buffalo took a very late penalty with Samuelsson getting called for hooking. The Sabres would need to kill the near full penalty to start the 3rd. After two periods of play, the Caps had a 4-2 lead with Buffalo’s power play failing to get them back within one goal.
Minus 3: Uninspired and Near Unacceptable Play
Buffalo killed the penalty to start the period, giving them a chance to stay in the game. Not long after, Zach Benson’s hard work drew a call on Washington and the dreaded Sabres’ power play had another chance. Once again, they didn’t fail to disappoint. Buffalo moved it around with no good looks and the Capitals cleared it several times, forcing the Blue and Gold to regroup often.
Washington put the game out of reach when Ryan Leonard snapped one home for a 5-2 Caps lead. The Sabres lethargic play continued after that, until the final horn. No sense of urgency from the team, the usual suspects not scoring, sloppy and uninspired defense. The final insult was the shorthanded goal Buffalo gave up to Tom Wilson midway through the period. Just a shameful performance from the Sabres’ power play. They went 0 for 5 with a shortie scored against them. Buffalo had 39 shots on goal in this game, but they were mostly perimeter shots without traffic in front. Logan Thompson had a pretty good outing but Buffalo’s inept forwards stayed cold once again.
Where to start with this game? Buffalo loses 6-2 to another desperate team that wanted it more than they did. I’m not sure if the Sabres think they are “saving themselves” for the playoffs or what. But their performances have not been up to the standards we have seen since before Christmas. The backchecking isn’t there, the defense has been substandard and the goaltending (mostly Lyon) has been shaky. Buffalo should be striving for more, the division title was/is right there, but now it is slipping away. Everything will need to be perfect from here on out for the Sabres to take the top spot. With the way they are playing, that does not seem likely.
I will spare you the highlights, because there wasn’t many for Buffalo. Instead, watch this classic video, as baby panda scares the sh*t out of mama panda.
Final Thoughts:
I know we are not supposed to panic, but the finger is hovering over the button. Buffalo is now 2-3-2 in their last 7 games and higher aspirations of being best in the Eastern Conference are all but gone. Carolina won again with a game in hand on Buffalo. Tampa won, they are 2 up on us with a game in hand. And Montreal is a freight train right now, near unstoppable as they now tie the Sabres in points, again with a game in hand. Unless momentum shifts radically and soon, the Sabres look to tumble down to third in the division and forth in the conference. It’s great to breach that playoff barrier at long last, but they are sure taking the luster off the accomplishment at this moment. Oh, and the magic that is Zach Metsa? He has had back to back minus games, with this one the worst of his NHL career, finishing a -3.
What will Buffalo do with Alex Lyon now? After a phenomenal season, he is suddenly in a deep funk at the worst time of year. Will Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen get almost every start now? Will Ellis get a game or two? Or will Lindy Ruff go back to Lyon at some point before the playoffs start? Buffalo’s playoff positioning may depend on what happens.
Next up for Buffalo is the big return matchup with Tampa Bay back home at Keybank Center on Monday, April 6th at 7:00pm. The Lightning and Sabres going at it again will essentially be a playoff game, as they battle for the division title. It is a must win for Buffalo at this point, especially with Montreal in the mix now. Expect fireworks and more craziness, if the Sabres decide to show up.