Buffalo Sabres (5-4-2, fourth in the Atlantic) vs. Washington Capitals (5-2-4, third in the Metropolitan)
Washington; Monday, 7 p.m. EST
LINE: Capitals -255, Sabres +203; over/under is 6
BOTTOM LINE: Alex Ovechkin and Washington square off against Buffalo. Ovechkin ranks third in the NHL with 18 points, scoring 10 goals and totaling eight assists.
The Capitals are 3-2-3 against Eastern Conference opponents. Washington is seventh in the Eastern Conference averaging 5.3 assists per game, led by Ovechkin with 0.7.
The Sabres are 2-1-2 in Eastern Conference play. Buffalo is ninth in the Eastern Conference averaging 5.0 assists per game, led by Rasmus Asplund with 0.6.
The matchup Monday is the first meeting this season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Ovechkin leads the Capitals with 18 points, scoring 10 goals and adding eight assists. Evgeny Kuznetsov has five goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Washington.
Victor Olofsson leads the Sabres with five goals and has 9 points. Asplund has 10 points over the last 10 games for Buffalo.
LAST 10 GAMES: Capitals: 4-2-4, averaging 3.2 goals, 4.8 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game with an .897 save percentage.
Sabres: 4-4-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.5 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while allowing 2.8 goals per game with a .913 save percentage.
INJURIES: Capitals: None listed.
Sabres: Victor Olofsson: day to day (undisclosed), Casey Mittelstadt: out (upper body).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by
