The Buffalo Sabres were looking to win their second straight game after beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Friday night. They would be taking on Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights, whom they had a three-game win streak against heading into this game.
Unfortunately, both of those streaks came to an end as the Golden Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second with Mitch Marner scoring a short-handed goal and then Eichel got some revenge on his former team with a goal about 90 seconds after. The two-goal lead was really all they needed, as they would cruise to a 4-1 win on Sunday. These are three notable takeaways from the game for the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Disastrous second period for the Buffalo Sabres
The second period has been an issue for the Buffalo Sabres almost all season and that was once again the case against the Vegas Golden Knights. While neither team could find the net through the first 30 minutes, the Sabres seemed to be getting the better chances and controlling the pace.
However, the game seemed to flip in about two minutes during a part of the period that the Buffalo Sabres should have had the advantage. It began when the Sabres were on the power play but Mitch Marner was able to steal the puck from Tage Thompson at the blue line. With such a lead, no one was able to catch up to him and Marner scored a short-handed goal on a breakaway.
Then, just as the Sabres' power play was expiring, Jack Eichel would extend Vegas' lead with another goal about a minute and a half later. The Sabres would continue to try and fight to get back into the game but it is tough to come back against a good team like Vegas.
Rasmus Dahlin has an off-night for the Buffalo Sabres
Rasmus Dahlin was playing in his 600th career NHL game on Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights. While it is a milestone in his career, it is a game that he is probably going to want to forget.
He finished the game with a +/- of -3 and had the highest xGA of any Sabres player at 0.76 in 5v5 situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.
This season, Dahlin now has 10 points in 14 games and seems to be playing better lately, with five points in the prior four games before the game against the Golden Knights. Hopefully, Dahlin can get back to playing like he was before this game because the Sabres have a tough time winning when Dahlin is not playing his best.
Colten Ellis made some big time saves that kept the Buffalo Sabres in this game
While the Buffalo Sabres did give up four goals, it really is tough to blame this loss on Colten Ellis. He finished the game stopping 20 of the 24 shots he faced, and he made some incredible saves early that kept the score close.
While Mitch Marner opened the scoring with a short-handed goal, it wasn't Vegas' first chance to score while on the penalty kill. Earlier in the game, the Golden Knights had another breakaway chance that Ellis was able to stop, both the initial shot and the rebound shot by William Karlsson.
The Buffalo Sabres will have a little bit of time to regroup but they have a pivotal game on Wednesday against division rival against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Add us as a preferred source on Google