NHL Recap: Buffalo, Washington, Utah Get Wins

Capitals secure wins in NHL game

The Sabres beat the Panthers 3-2, and the Caps held off Vegas 3-2. Meanwhile, the Mammoth topped the Wild 5-2, ending Minnesota's six-game winning streak. Lawson Crouse scored twice for Utah, and Clayton Keller had a goal and two assists.

The Sabres have strung together back-to-back one-goal wins since the Olympic break...

The Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres dug deep to fend off late surges, securing wins in their games on Friday's NHL slate.

Sabres Edge Panthers 3-2

Beck Malenstyn and Peyton Krebs scored in the third period to give Buffalo a 3-1 lead, but the Panthers got a late goal from Sam Bennett, making it 3-2 final.

BIG DUB IN FLORIDA 😤#LetsGoBuffalo | @SenecaBuffalo pic.twitter.com/gTDgmEPWEF

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 28, 2026

The Sabres have strung together back-to-back one-goal wins since the Olympic break, boosting their record to 34-19-6.

Florida dropped their first game post-Olympics, falling to 30-26-3 after beating Toronto 5-1 on Thursday.

Capitals Top Golden Knights 3-2

Pierre-Luc Dubois scored back-to-back goals and assisted on Jakob Chychrun's 22nd goal, giving Washington just enough cushion to fend off Vegas' late push.

Vegas got on the board 2:27 into the third with Braeden Bowman's goal, then Tomas Hertl added a power play goal six minutes later.

JUST KEEP WWWINNING#CapsKnights | #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/5srvFTmk2G

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 28, 2026

The Caps held on to improve to 31-23-7, and are 2-0 since the Olympic break with three goals in both games.

Vegas earned their first loss post-Olympics, dropping to 28-17-14 on the season after beating LA on Wednesday.

Mammoth Top Wild 5-2

Lawson Crouse scored twice, pushing Mammoth to a 5-2 win over Minnesota. Crouse's two goals bring him closer to a career high, needing just nine more to top his single-season mark.

Utah stormed to a 3-0 lead, but Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov got one back with his 33rd goal, assisted by Matthew Boldy, who matched Kaprizov's 33rd assist.

Read Also: NHL Roundup: Hurricanes, Islanders Win Thrillers

It wasn't enough, though, as Utah grabbed the win, snapping a loss to Colorado. They're 31-24-4 now, with their first post-break win.

DELTA CENTER DUB 🎉 pic.twitter.com/3SR5m7Aii8

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 28, 2026

Minnesota lost after beating Colorado in their first game back. They're 35-15-10 now.