Tuch set for first Capitals game against Sabres

Alex Tuch is set to face the Buffalo Sabres for the first time since joining the Washington Capitals in an offseason sign-and-trade, ending a five-season run with the team he grew up rooting for. Tuch said he misses his former teammates but is happy in Washington, where he has made an early impact after moving to left wing. He expects the reunion to feel different from his first game against former team Vegas because he was a younger player then, while in Buffalo he became a veteran and mentor within a close-knit group. Tuch anticipates familiar, physical matchups with his former teammates and expects the spotlight to fall more heavily on him this time. He also expressed confidence that Buffalo will find success, while joking that he is wary of former teammate Peyton Krebs keeping score during the team’s poker games.