For the fourth straight game, the Buffalo Sabres played extra hockey but this time it went to the shootout. The Sabres were able to close it out thanks to Bowen Byram scoring in the shootout.
While the Sabres are familiar with overtime hockey, it was really surprising that they got it there as they gave up two goals in the first 2:15 of the game. The Sabres responded in a big way with three goals of their own before the end of the period.
The scoring slowed down after the opening period with only one goal between the two teams, with the Washington Capitals tying it at three apiece before the end of the second period. However, fans went home happy with Buffalo winning the shootout after Bo Byram scored for the Sabres and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all five shootout shots.
These are some of the top takeaways from the game on Saturday night.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen settles down after a rocky start against the Capitals
It was a disastrous start to the game for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was making only his second start this season. He has seemingly lost the starter spot to Alex Lyon, and he needs to string great performances together if he hopes to take it back.
On Saturday, the game did not start that way as he gave up two goals in about the first two minutes of the game. It is tough to blame Luukkonen for the second goal, which was a breakaway with two Capitals players, but the first should fall on him as he couldn't control the puck and allowed a rebound.
The good news is that Luukkonen really settled down after that and put together a solid performance where he stopped 26 of 29 shots. He was also exceptional in the shootout, stopping all five players he faced, and put the Sabres in the position they needed as they struggled on the other end, with only one player scoring.
It may not be enough to take the job back from Lyon but should get him more starts.
Buffalo Sabres' best forward line delivers again
One of the challenges with Zach Benson's injury was how they replace him without impacting other lines. The coaching staff's decision to go with Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway with Tage Thompson didn't necessarily help that line but allowed the other combinations to have great games.
The line of Josh Doan-Ryan McLeod-Alex Tuch has been exceptional this season and has been one of the best lines in the NHL. They once again made a huge impact when Josh Doan found Alex Tuch for the Sabres' second goal of the game and allowed them to tie it up at two in the first period.
The Sabres will need to do everything they can to ensure this line doesn't get broken up this season.
Isak Rosen makes an immediate impact with first career NHL goal
After the Sabres placed Zach Benson on injured reserve, they recalled Isak Rosen from Rochester to take his spot on the roster. The Sabres decided the best thing to do for this game was to go with a younger line of Rosen-Jiri Kulich-Jack Quinn, and the thought being these three are familiar with each other from their time in the AHL.
That thought process worked out as Rosen would score in the first period, which was his first career NHL goal. Prior to this season, Rosen appeared in 15 games but only had one point over that time period.
Rosen has a few more games to prove he should have a more permanent spot with the Sabres and if this group continues to play like they did, it will be hard to break them up.
Buffalo Sabres give up another goal in the final minute of the second period
This is certainly an odd trend, but one that has cost the Sabres points as they gave up a goal in the final minute of the second period for the third straight game. This game was Sonny Milano beating Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with 43 seconds left in the period.
While there is still a whole period of hockey left after that point, it seems to suck any momentum they had away from them and to the other team. It seems they go into the locker room feeling like they need to regroup and not necessarily think about how they can be aggressive.
Buffalo Sabres lucky to get it to a shootout
The Buffalo Sabres have played in their fourth straight overtime, and fans would think they would have figured something out on how to improve their performance. While the Sabres didn't lose it in overtime, it was still another lackluster performance in the extra period.
The Capitals held the puck for almost the entire period and outshot the Sabres 5-1 in overtime with Buffalo's only shot coming in the final 10 seconds. Luukkonen made some big saves down the stretch for Buffalo and they were lucky to get it to a shootout.