Football
16y

Campbell's offense, Miller's play in net put Sabres on top

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- The Buffalo Sabres' high-flying offense is back on track.

The highest scoring team in the NHL last season, the Sabres are up to their old tricks again after a convincing 7-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

Derek Roy had two goals, Jaroslav Spacek added two power-play goals, and Brian Campbell had four assists for the Sabres, who have netted 13 goals over the last two games and 19 goals in their first four games.

"It's been huge. We want to keep this going," said Campbell, who has seven points in his last two games. "We want to get on a roll here and put a bunch together."

Maxim Afinogenov had a goal and an assist, and Jason Pominville and Adam Mair also scored for the Sabres.

Ryan Miller, coming off a 6-0 win over Atlanta, had 23 saves. It was his fourth straight decision over the Capitals.

The Sabres have now won two straight games after dropping their first two of the season to the New York Islanders.

"I think we played pretty good in the second game against the Islanders, but just didn't get any points," said Spacek, who sparked a four-goal second period with a goal nearly 15 minutes in. "After we got home it was tough, but we had some time off after that game and worked hard in practice."

That practice is now paying off for a Sabres team that peppered Washington goalie Brent Johnson with 53 shots on goal, five off the franchise high.

"We try to throw pucks at the net," Roy said. "Johnson was standing on his head and was playing really well, but it was just a matter of time before we got some shots to go through."

Mike Green and Michael Nylander each had a goal and an assist, and Alex Ovechkin also scored for Washington, which lost its second straight after opening the season 3-0.

"We had control of the puck and were making the right plays, but now we're turning over the puck and making the high-risk plays," Capitals coach Glen Hanlon said.

Down 1-0, Buffalo scored four times on seven shots in a 4:32 span late in the second period to take command, with Spacek beginning the rally on a power play at 14:51. It was his third goal of the season.

Afinogenov scored 11 seconds later, tapping in Thomas Vanek's pass down low.

Pominville made it 3-1 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the second when he cashed in on a 2-on-1 break with Jochen Hecht, and Mair gave Buffalo a three-goal lead with just 37 seconds left in the period.

Buffalo got off 24 shots in the second period, two short of its franchise high.

In his last appearance against the Sabres last December, Johnson was chased after the first eight minutes of the game, allowing four goals on six shots. Coming in, his save percentage lifetime against Buffalo was just .865.

"After they started coming at us hard in the second period, it was almost unbearable for a little bit," Johnson said. "It felt like the ice was tilted the other way."

The Capitals were able to muster only four shots on goal in the first period, but they made one of them count when Nylander beat Miller with a snap shot from the slot at 11:24. Nylander converted Nicklas Backstrom's pass on a 3-on-2 rush, the first goal Miller allowed in 82 minutes, 55 seconds.

Roy's two goals and Spacek's power-play goal countered third-period goals by Washington's Green and Ovechkin.

Game notes
Capitals right wing Alexander Semin missed his fourth game because of a right ankle sprain sustained in the preseason. ... Washington right wing Boyd Gordon missed his second game due to back spasms. ... Buffalo has won nine of its last 11 against the Capitals. ... Washington is off until Thursday when it begins a four-game homestand against the Islanders. ... Ovechkin has picked up a point in every game this season. ... Washington has allowed over 30 shots in its last three games.

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