Caps 2, Sabres 0
About as good a first period as the Caps have played. The Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin line created chances on every shift. Backstrom scored goal No. 13 just 78 seconds into the game on a nasty one-timer from Ovechkin. Don’t overlook the Clark-Laich-Fehr line, which also had one strong shift after another. Clark and Fehr’s work along the boards led directly to defenseman Mike Green’s goal at 6:47. That’s No. 7 for Green. His shot did knuckle on Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller after hitting the stick of Derek Roy. Shots were 15-4 in favor of Washington. Can’t do much better than that. Michael Neuvirth looked solid. Covered pucks when he needed to keep any trouble at bay – something he also did very well against Edmonton in Saturday’s comeback win. Look for a little more punch from the Sabres in the second. They looked like the team that’s been on the road for a month.
