The Capitals are ‘just a little off’ and drop a 4-3 shootout loss on the road against the team with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference.

Caps defenseman John Carlson set up Aliaksei Protas for the tying goal with 4:13 left in regulation, securing a point for the Capitals in a game in which they were far from their best. In the process, Carlson recorded his 700th career NHL point, becoming just the 13th blueliner in NHL history to reach that lofty plateau with one franchise.

After going down 1-0 in the shootout, the Buffalo Sabres (15-21-5) scored in the third and fourth rounds as they then watched their netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen secure the win against the Washington Capitals (26-10-4).

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The Capitals have been playing well, with a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games. They'll visit the KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Monday night.

The Sabres return home to face the Eastern Conference leaders. After going 1-2-1 on their four-game road trip, the Buffalo Sabres return home to face the Washington Capitals on Monday at KeyBank Center.