Strome, Tuch Erase Two-Goal Hole, Steal OT Win for Washington

Dylan Strome scored twice and added an assist, and Alex Tuch buried the overtime winner at 3:42 of the extra frame as Washington rallied from two goals down to beat Buffalo 4-3 on October 24. The Capitals needed every bit of that comeback — and then some — after Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead inside the first 11 minutes.

Jack Quinn opened the scoring at 6:27 of the first period with a wrist shot, assisted by Olen Zellweger and Zach Benson, and that first goal proved to be the turning point that shifted the margin from even to Washington trailing. Josh Doan doubled the lead at 10:36 on a snap shot set up by Ryan McLeod, and Buffalo looked firmly in control. Washington didn't fold. Alex Tuch got one back at 16:10 of the first on a backhand off a feed from Jordan Kyrou, and the Capitals carried that momentum into the second.

The second period is where Washington took over. Strome tied it at 2:59 — a backhand finish with Kyrou and Jakob Chychrun picking up assists — and then delivered what looked like the decisive blow at 17:24, snapping home his second of the night off passes from Justin Sourdif and Martin Fehervary to put Washington ahead 3-2. Buffalo, to their credit, refused to go quietly. Noah Ostlund wired a wrist shot past Charlie Lindgren just 2:20 into the third, with Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin assisting, to knot it at three and force overtime. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the reason Buffalo stayed in it that long — he stopped 30 of 34 shots in a losing effort, and the story of the night was how hard he made Washington work for every goal.

In overtime, Tuch ended it. His snap shot at 3:42 — set up by Strome and Chychrun — gave Washington the 4-3 final and capped a remarkable individual night for that trio. Strome finished with 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points. Tuch had 2 goals. Chychrun and Kyrou each posted 2 assists. Lindgren made 18 saves on 21 shots, a relatively light workload compared to what Luukkonen faced, and it appears Washington's ability to generate quality looks — not just volume — made the difference. Buffalo outshot Washington 34-21, which makes this loss sting even more for the Sabres. When you put up that kind of shot volume and still lose in OT, the margin for error elsewhere evaporates fast.