Wilson, surging Capitals hand Sabres ninth straight loss

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Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) celebrates after his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary (42) and Buffalo Sabres right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel (96) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (6) breaks his stick next to Buffalo Sabres left wing Zach Benson (9) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker, front, and Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome, back, collide along the boards during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) tracks the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin (38) is helped off the ice by defenseman John Carlson (74) and center Aliaksei Protas, center right, after he was injured during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Buffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (12) shoots against Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, center, and center Hendrix Lapierre (29) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson, right, celebrates after his goal with center Connor McMichael, left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) skates with the puck past Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy (3) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

By SAMMI SILBER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tom Wilson struck twice and the Washington Capitals beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 on Saturday night.

Dylan Strome had the game-winning goal and Jakob Chychrun iced the game with an empty-netter for the Capitals, who have won four straight.

Logan Thompson made 19 saves in the win to advance to 12-1-2.

Jason Zucker and Jiri Kulich scored for the Sabres, who have lost nine straight.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves, dropping to 8-9-3.

Takeaways

Sabres: Buffalo continues to struggle on special teams, as the team went 0 for 2 on the man advantage and has gone without a power-play goal in four straight games and 10 of the last 11 overall. The Sabres also gave up a power-play goal for the third time in five games.

Capitals: Home ice hasn’t been kind to the Capitals of late, with the team going 1-3-2 in its last six outings in D.C. However, Saturday marked a key turnaround as the team managed its first regulation win at Capital One Arena since Nov. 6.

Key moment

Strome drove to the slot and redirected a feed from John Carlson past Luukkonen, extending his point streak to three games.

Key stat

Wilson continues to fill a huge void on offense for Washington, with Alex Ovechkin still recovering from a broken leg. The 30-year-old has seven goals in his last eight games, a span that also includes three multigoal performances.

Up Next

The Sabres visit Toronto on Sunday, while the Capitals play at Dallas on Monday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl