Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals
NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Washington Capitals on Apr 04, 2026. Final score: Buffalo Sabres 2, Washington Capitals 6.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Apr 04, 2026 |
| Venue | Capital One Arena |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 2 |
| Washington Capitals score | 6 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jakob Chychrun | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19:40 | 0.28 | 2.46 |
| 2nd | Connor McMichael | L | 1 | 1 | 5 | 16:03 | 0.71 | 2.03 |
| 3rd | Pierre-Luc Dubois | C | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12:58 | 0.06 | 1.96 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Buffalo Sabres–Washington Capitals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 03:15 | WSH | Jakob Chychrun | Alex Ovechkin, Pierre-Luc Dubois | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 03:35 | WSH | Dylan Strome | Aliaksei Protas, Alex Ovechkin | 5v5 | 0–2 |
| 1st 05:52 | WSH | Connor McMichael | Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois | 5v5 | 0–3 |
| 1st 06:30 | BUF | Rasmus Dahlin | Josh Norris, Alex Tuch | 5v5 | 1–3 |
| 1st 12:15 | BUF | Beck Malenstyn | Jordan Greenway, Rasmus Dahlin | 5v5 | 2–3 |
| 2nd 06:06 | WSH | Aliaksei Protas | — | 4v4 | 2–4 |
| 3rd 06:26 | WSH | Ryan Leonard | Cole Hutson, Justin Sourdif | 5v5 | 2–5 |
| 3rd 08:55 | WSH | Tom Wilson | Connor McMichael | 4v5 | 2–6 |
Team Comparison
| Buffalo Sabres | Washington Capitals | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 6 |
| Shots on goal | 39 | 28 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.51 | 3.06 |
| High-danger shots | 16 | 13 |
| Corsi % | 51.8% | 48.2% |
| Power play | 0/5 | 0/2 |
| Faceoff % | 51.6% | 48.4% |
| Hits | 17 | 14 |
| Blocks | 8 | 10 |
| Giveaways | 17 | 17 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 9 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22:28 | 0.23 | 1.91 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 15:48 | 0.34 | 1.13 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12:27 | 0.37 | 1.05 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 16:20 | 0.23 | 0.78 |
| Jordan Greenway | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13:32 | 0.01 | 0.62 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19:54 | 0.03 | 0.41 |
| Tyson Kozak | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:15 | 0.00 | 0.34 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12:05 | 0.20 | 0.29 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:20 | 0.22 | 0.11 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 18:27 | 0.67 | -0.21 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 19:20 | 0.30 | -0.43 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20:22 | 0.06 | -0.50 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:20 | 0.30 | -0.53 |
| Josh Doan | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:57 | 0.19 | -0.54 |
| Logan Stanley | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13:18 | 0.03 | -0.69 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20:59 | 0.00 | -0.73 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:53 | 0.00 | -0.75 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:15 | 0.01 | -0.85 |
Washington Capitals Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakob Chychrun | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 19:40 | 0.28 | 2.46 |
| Connor McMichael | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 16:03 | 0.71 | 2.03 |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12:58 | 0.06 | 1.96 |
| Alex Ovechkin | L | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 17:01 | 0.47 | 1.84 |
| Aliaksei Protas | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 16:15 | 0.25 | 1.32 |
| Tom Wilson | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17:19 | 0.39 | 1.20 |
| Dylan Strome | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 16:38 | 0.39 | 1.10 |
| Justin Sourdif | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15:25 | 0.18 | 0.87 |
| Ryan Leonard | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12:55 | 0.05 | 0.70 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:11 | 0.00 | 0.63 |
| Cole Hutson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18:58 | 0.02 | 0.47 |
| Rasmus Sandin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:25 | 0.06 | 0.25 |
| Anthony Beauvillier | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:44 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Brandon Duhaime | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:43 | 0.05 | -0.03 |
| Martin Fehérváry | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:10 | 0.00 | -0.09 |
| Matt Roy | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:56 | 0.01 | -0.11 |
| Ethen Frank | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:34 | 0.05 | -0.23 |
| Hendrix Lapierre | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:05 | 0.00 | -0.23 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colten Ellis | Buffalo Sabres | 20 | 23 | 87.0% | -0.80 | |
| Alex Lyon | Buffalo Sabres | 2 | 5 | 40.0% | -2.22 | L |
| Logan Thompson | Washington Capitals | 37 | 39 | 94.9% | 1.19 | W |
Analysis
The Washington Capitals defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6–2 on Apr 04, 2026, a decisive 4-goal win.
Washington Capitals generated 3.06 expected goals to Buffalo Sabres's 3.51 — Buffalo Sabres owned the better of the chances but Washington Capitals took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Jakob Chychrun led all skaters with a Game Score of 2.46 on 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots on goal.
Logan Thompson stopped 37 of 39, worth 1.19 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals game?
The Washington Capitals beat the Buffalo Sabres 6–2 on Apr 04, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Washington Capitals 6, Buffalo Sabres 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Jakob Chychrun led all skaters at 2.46, on 1G, 1A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Washington Capitals generated 3.06 expected goals and Buffalo Sabres generated 3.51, so Buffalo Sabres created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Buffalo Sabres put 39 shots on goal and Washington Capitals put 28. High-danger chances went 16 to 13.
How did the goaltenders play?
Colten Ellis stopped 20 of 23 (-0.8 goals saved above expected); Logan Thompson stopped 37 of 39 (1.19 goals saved above expected).