"Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and the Buffalo Sabres had their chances. They could be seen shaking their heads on the bench. Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals had their chances. They could be seen hugging, high-fiving and receiving ear-piercing standing ovations from their fans.

Any guesses which team ended its winless streak Wednesday night?

The Sabres failed to score for the second time this season, and their skid reached four games as the Capitals earned a 2-0 victory in Verizon Center. The Sabres are just 0-3-1 since a three-game winning streak.

The Sabres had opportunities to score and get back to the right side of the win-loss ledger. But, as has been the case over the past 11 games, they had the chances slip past them.

"We didn't get a lot of bounces with the puck," coach Lindy Ruff said. "We did a lot of good things but didn't get rewarded for it."

The game-winning-goal sequence was a prime example. It showed the difference between the Sabres' struggling scorers and the most prolific sniper in the world.

Roy and Jason Pominville had three pokes in a seven-second span, but none found the net. Ovechkin sped out of his zone, cut right just inside the Buffalo blue line and let loose with a laser that caught the left side of the net.

It was Ovechkin's 17th goal, which gave him a one-goal lead over the Sabres' top line of Roy (four goals), Pominville (five) and Vanek (seven).

"We missed a lot of chances," Roy said. "Those have got to go in sometime."

The Sabres entered the game 22nd in the NHL at 2.6 goals per game. The average has been lower during the 11-game malaise. They are scoring just 1.9 goals per outing."