In Buffalo, the Sabres’ Dylan Cozens scored a hat truck, and Buffalo hit for four goals in the middle frame to take down the Washington Capitals in a Sunday matinee.
“It felt great,” Cozens said. “The guys were setting me up a lot today. I was having lots of chances. I mean, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves in the Sabres win.
Tage Thompson scored his 40th of the campaign in the win.
“I think everyone stepped up,” Thompson said. “We knew that was a big game. Those were important points for us. We have a group that’s really hungry in here to succeed and I think everyone in here takes that to heart. I think we are confident with the group that we have, and we knew that we can win this game.”
Buffalo improved to 31-23-4.
Cozens and Thompson exchanged first period goals with the Capitals’ Dylan Strome and T.J. Oshie for a 2-2 tie headed to the second period.
“It’s just not good enough,” Oshie said. “The consistency of attention to detail for us right now has to be at an all-time high. Yesterday (a 6-3 win against the New York Rangers) it was it was there for us. Today it wasn’t, so you’re not going to last much longer being inconsistent like this.”
In the second period, the Sabres rattled off four straight for a 6-2 lead in the frame.
“It’s a good feeling,” Thompson said of scoring 40 goals. “I think you obviously set goals for yourself at the beginning of the season, and that is something that I wanted to see if I could get this year. It’s kind of one of those things now, I guess, where you reach it and now you change your goal, and now it’s a little further ahead and try to chase that one now.”
Jeff Skinner and Zemgus Girgensons scored to give the Sabres a 4-2 advantage.
“It’s tough because it’s kind of been the story for the last month or so where after a good stretch of hockey we’re playing, we just can’t kind of seem to find it,” Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen said. “Pucks just keep finding their way into the back of our net, guys are getting discouraged and confidence is starting to shrink more and more as that happens.”
Vinnie Hinostroza and Cozens then scored to balloon the lead to 6-2.
“That was an unbelievable pass by [Quinn],” Cozens said. “I called for it when I was in the D-zone just to let him know I was coming up that wing. He just [drew] everyone to him and then kicked it to me, so it was a great play by him.”
Alex Ovechkin and Sonny Milano closed out the second period with goals for the Capitals to make it 6-4 headed to the third.
Cozens finished his hat trick at 11:52 of the third, it was his first career NHL hat trick.
“It looked like he was in sync and feeling good about his game,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “Obviously, incredible pace. … He definitely had his feet moving today. You could tell he felt good and speed, the impact he had, a lot of it was speed. He could’ve had one or two more as well.”
Darcy Kuemper got the start for the Caps and was given the hook in the middle frame after surrendering five goals and making 14 saves.
Charlie Lindgren made 16 saves in a mop up role.
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