BUFFALO – Just over halfway through Sunday afternoon’s 4-1 loss, winger Tage Thompson gave the puck away again inside the Vegas Golden Knights blue line again as the Sabres enjoyed a power play, this time to Mitch Marner.
With the game tied at 0 earlier in the period, Sabres goalie Colten Ellis stymied two shots on William Karlsson’s short-handed breakaway attempt after Thompson committed a similar gaffe on the man advantage.
“That should have been motivation to carry our group a little bit further right there,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said of Ellis’ saves.
Well, the Sabres kept playing loose with the puck. Ellis, meanwhile, couldn’t bail his teammates out again before the capacity crowd of 19,070 fans in KeyBank Center.
Marner converted his short-handed breakaway at 12:17. Jack Eichel gave Vegas a commanding 2-0 lead at 13:43, scoring after a rare turnover by Sabres defenseman Owen Power along the boards.
“We made some high-risk plays on bad ice,” Ruff said.
Fresh off Friday’s 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, perhaps their best all-around effort all season, the Sabres roared out of the gate. It felt like they might throttle their opponent.
In the opening 20 minutes, they thoroughly outplayed the Golden Knights, outshooting them 14-6 and attempting 34 shots to their 11. Vegas also had the period’s only two power plays.
“Probably played as good a first period as we played again,” Ruff said. “… We outchanced them probably seven or eight to two, but we didn’t put any by the goaltender. And I think the power play took the wind right out of our sails.”
Thompson said the second period “starts with me.”
“Just too many turnovers kind of bled throughout the team,” he said. “Just trying to get too cute at the line, giving them free offense and then we’re chasing the game at that point. Kind of deflating. Kind of shot ourselves in the foot there.”
Ruff acknowledged the Sabres’ three power-play attempts in the second period took them out of the game.
Eichel scored 13 seconds after Ivan Barbashev got out of the penalty box.
The Sabres moved within one when winger Beck Malenstyn scored 4:26 into the third period as a sea of bodies enveloped the crease around goalie Adin Hill.
But Tomas Hertl scored twice in the final 10 minutes to seal the game.
“For me, I want to come up with the saves to keep the game even a one-goal game or even a two-goal game in the third,” Ellis said.
The Sabres, as they did in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators, wasted a terrific effort by Ellis, who made 22 saves.
“He played awesome,” Thompson said. “We can’t give up two breakaways and a two-on-one and expect good things are going to happen. We hung him out to dry.”
The Sabres, who close their four-game home stand Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, dropped to 4-5-0 at home this season. They’ve scored one goal or been shut out in five of those contests.
Notes: The Sabres dressed the same 18 skaters as Friday, meaning forward Ryan McLeod and defenseman Louis Crevier both sat out their second game as healthy scratches. … Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin played his 600th NHL game, becoming the sixth-youngest defenseman (26 years. 209 days) in NHL history to reach the milestone. Center Josh Norris played his 300th game, while defenseman Conor Timmins played his 200th. … Sabres fans booed Eichel, the team’s former captain, every time he touched the puck. When Eichel scored, he gestured with his hand to give a little back to the crowd. … Former Sabres winger Victor Olofsson is in his second stint with the Golden Knights. … Hill made 28 saves.
