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.

Alex Tuch scored twice, JJ Peterka had the deciding goal in the shootout and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 on on Monday night.

The Washington Capitals will look a bit different when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, with the top-6 getting another tweak and Charlie Lindgren officially back in business. Washington activated Lindgren off the injured reserve and re-assigned Hunter Shepard to the AHL's Hershey Bears.

Peterka's 23:37 of ice time was the most that he's played in his 200 NHL games. The winger totaled five shots on goal with eight shot attempts, and he had two assists.

JJ Peterka tallied two points and the shootout winner for Buffalo. A familiar path, including a lost third-period lead and multiple missed opportunities in overtime, led the Buffalo Sabres in an unfamiliar direction Monday at KeyBank Center as they earned a 4-3 shootout win over the Washington Capitals.

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).

Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson also scored for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves and stopped three of four shooters in the shootout to end their three-game losing skid. Tuch also scored during the shootout.

Sabres forward JJ Peterka played a significant role in the win, as he had a big night. The 22-year-old forward made a big difference offensively, recording two assists and five shots. However, his biggest moment of the night was when he scored the shootout winner to secure two points for the Sabres.

BUFFALO -- Alex Tuch scored twice for the Buffalo Sabres in a 4-3 shootout win against the Washington Capitals at KeyBank Center on Monday. JJ Peterka, who had two assists, scored the deciding goal in the shootout.

The Sabres skated into the midway point of their frustrating season Monday night with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Washington Capitals on Monday night at KeyBank Center.

The Washington Capitals' start to action at KeyBank Center didn't go as planned against the Buffalo Sabres ... On the first goal against, Charlie Lindgren was left heavily screened in front ...

After Tuch's marker in the third round of the shootout, JJ Peterka scored the clinching goal in the next round. Following Peterka's goal, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made the save on Jakob Chychrun's attempt to seal the win for Buffalo, which had lost three straight games (0-2-1) after winning three in a row.