Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP
Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) is checked by Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud (2) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Published Saturday, March 2, 2024 | 6:41 p.m.
Updated 1 hour, 25 minutes ago
If there were two TV screens showing a replay of Thursday’s game and Saturday’s game simultaneously, it’d be close to a mirror image.
The only difference is Saturday was much more worse for the Golden Knights.
Vegas fought back from two goals down to tie it, but allowed five unanswered goals — four of them in the third period — in a 7-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Saturday.
The Golden Knights fell behind 2-0 after Sabres center Dylan Cozens scored the first of his two shorthanded goals 54 seconds into the middle frame. They immediately answered on the power play when Brendan Brisson scored at 1:46, then William Karlsson tied it at 4:28.
It was all Buffalo after that.
The Sabres took a 3-2 lead into the third after Zemgus Girgensons beat Logan Thompson with a shot from the slot at 14:46. Despite the deficit, the Golden Knights liked where they were.
“It was 3-2 after the second. I don’t even know (what happened),” said defenseman Brayden McNabb. “It’s tough. We’re usually good in those situations, and we weren’t tonight.”
McNabb isn’t wrong. The Golden Knights showed 48 hours prior how good they are when trailing. They fell behind by three goals in the first period Thursday in Boston, only to battle back and eventually tie it 4-4 early in the third before a Boston power-play goal cemented the 5-4 loss.
The Sabres were the more aggressive team from a forechecking standpoint the moment Vegas tied the game. That carried into the third with goals from Kyle Okposo and Owen Power within four minutes of each other to make it 5-2.
“We found our game, but after that, they were just out-competing us,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “A lot of self-inflicted errors again tonight.”
Logan Thompson was on the ledger for all seven goals allowed on 35 shots in his third consecutive loss. Thompson has given up 14 goals in his last two-plus starts; he replaced Adin Hill in the first period during the Feb. 22 loss to Toronto at home, where Hill was pulled after allowing three goals in the opening 20 minutes.
The Golden Knights dropped to 2-6-1 in their last nine games and are 1-2-1 during this four-game road trip that ends in Columbus on Monday. The Golden Knights earned three points through the first two games, but now need a win to at least finish .500 on the trip.
Cassidy said the offense has been fine on this trip without center Jack Eichel and forward Mark Stone with 15 goals through four games, but the Golden Knights have given up 18.
He said it’s on the defense — which is playing its full unit of six now that Shea Theodore has returned after missing three months due to an upper-body injury — has to play better, as do the goaltenders.
“Those are the guys that are healthy and we’ll piece together some forward lines,” Cassidy said. “You’ve got to stay in the game and be better back there.”
The Golden Knights are hopeful that Eichel will return Monday in Columbus after missing the past month-and-a-half after undergoing surgery for a lower-body injury. Eichel was a full-contact participant in practice Friday for the first time since the injury, but wasn’t cleared to play against his former team.
Also of note is the NHL’s trade deadline is noon PT on Friday, in which the Golden Knights are expected to be active participants yet again. Anything that can result in an answer might be on the table with the Edmonton Oilers leapfrogging the Golden Knights for second place in the Pacific Division with their win in Seattle on Saturday.
Vegas has ground to make up with the Oilers having two games in hand. That’s the furthest thing from their minds right now. The immediate concern is how to break through this slump.
“We’ve got to dig deep. Not much words about that,” McNabb said. “Tomorrow is a new day and we’ve got to find it here. We don’t have everyone in the lineup. It’s not an excuse, but we’ve got to play a certain way and a right way. We didn’t, and it cost us.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on X at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
