After a slow start to the season, the Washington Capitals are on a roll heading into their home game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
The Capitals enter the contest having won four straight games and are 5-0-1 in their past six. They're also 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, a stretch that began after a 1-3-1 start to the campaign.
After being held to two non-shootout goals or fewer in each of its first five games, Washington has scored at least three in all but three games since and has outscored the opposition 15-6 over the course of its current winning streak.
"We're going into each game expecting to win," Capitals center Dylan Strome said. "This group is just finding ways to win, and we're kind of believing in ourselves more and more."
One of the factors contributing to the Capitals' success has been the penalty kill. Washington ranks 11th in the NHL with an 84.4 percent success rate when short-handed. It has been especially strong over the past 10 games, killing all 23 opposing power plays. The Capitals haven't allowed a power-play goal since late in the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 24.
"I felt like it was erratic at the beginning of the year," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. "There were a lot of new guys killing that hadn't killed, a lot of new faces in the system. Now when I watch our penalty kill, I can see the reactions are all in line. That tells you that they're so dialed in and on the same page with their reads."
It's been a different story on the other side of special teams, with the power play ranking last in the NHL, with just three goals on 43 opportunities, a woeful 7.0 percent efficiency.
While Alex Ovechkin leads the team in points with 12 (five goals, seven assists), he's second on the team in goals behind Strome, who has seven. Strome (eight points) ended a five-game goal drought on Nov. 14 and has points in his past two games.
A decision on Evgeny Kuznetsov's status will be made Wednesday. The center missed a 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday and did not practice Friday due to illness. He returned to practice Monday.
The Sabres are looking to close out a three-game road trip on a high note after picking up a 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
While the Sabres weren't at their best in the game, they know the importance of getting the two points as they search for consistency. Buffalo has won consecutive games only once thus far, and not since doing so Oct. 29 and Nov. 1.
"It's a big win for us," Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin said. "Get back on the winning side and we found a different way to win, which gains confidence and more swag for the next game."
Dahlin led the charge against Chicago with a goal and two assists to move into the team lead with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists). Coach Don Granato has been relying on the 23-year-old heavily in the past two games. He's surpassed 28 minutes in each, including a season-high 28:59 on Sunday even with the Sabres employing seven defensemen.
"He's a great kid, unreal player," Buffalo defenseman Erik Johnson said of Dahlin. "Wants to win, does all the right things. Future captain of the team for sure. To see him take charge like he has — he's been good all year and now the last couple of games I think you've seen him be great."
—Field Level Media