The Vegas Golden Knights lost in regulation for the first time since Nov. 25 when they fell 5-2 to the Buffalo Sabres Friday night at T-Mobile Arena.
It was the third game in a row in which Vegas blew a third-period lead; this time, however, the Golden Knights failed to come away with any points, putting an end to a nine-game streak that saw Vegas collect 15 of a possible 18.
The Golden Knights yielded four consecutive goals in the third period after Jack Eichel gave the club a 2-1 lead early in the final frame. Buffalo scored 1:39 later to reset the score before taking a lead less than five minutes after that. In the end, the Sabres scored three goals in the span of just 6:11 to take a commanding 4-2 lead before adding an empty-net tally to seal the 5-2 win.
Logan Thompson was not sharp, though it was a teamwide collapse in the third period.
Through 40 minutes, however, this was a 1-1 game.
The Golden Knights had plenty of chances in the first, but Sabres netminder Devon Levi played well, particularly on the penalty kill. After a scoreless opening frame, the Sabres struck first when Dylan Cozens beat Thompson from the slot at 7:42 of the second period.
On its third try, the Vegas power play finally found twine, as Ivan Barbashev finished a broken play after driving to the net.
Eichel scored against his former team to give Vegas a lead 3:22 into the third period when he cashed in on a rebound generated by an outstanding individual effort by Paul Cotter. The goal extended Eichel’s point streak to nine games, giving him five goals and 14 points in that stretch.
The Golden Knights’ game unraveled after that.
First, Casey Mittelstadt beat Thompson on a one-timer.
Then, Zach Benson got the puck alone in front, roofing a backhand over Thompson’s pad with what proved to be the game-winning goal.
Finally, following one of the most egregious turnovers the Golden Knights have committed in some time, Alex Tuch put the road team ahead by two at 11:12 of the third.
Vegas pulled the goalie early but gave up an empty-net goal with 2:41 remaining.
This was a surprisingly physical game in which the Golden Knights had plenty of looks, and Vegas made some memorable plays, most notably Zach Whitecloud’s diving play to save what looked like a sure goal from Tuch.
However, puck management was a major issue, and it ultimately cost the Golden Knights in the end.
“We allowed them to get into their rush game by mismanaging pucks, and it got really magnified in the third period,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s how they beat you, and that’s how they beat us.”
Another factor in the loss was goaltending, as Thompson didn’t come up with saves to bail his team out when Vegas started allowing the Sabres to dictate the game.
“There’s some nights you’re going to get big-time saves on those plays, but those are really good chances to score goals, and you don’t want to put your goaltender in that position,” Cassidy said.
But Cassidy didn’t put the blame solely on Thompson.
“We’ve given up 12 goals at home here in the last three games,” Cassidy said, “so that is a team thing. The goaltender is part of the team, so that needs to improve no matter who’s in net.”
Not including Buffalo’s empty-net goal, Vegas has given up four goals in three straight, which Cassidy said is not sustainable.
“None of us were good enough in the third period tonight,” he said. “[Thompson’s] part of that, and we let another lead get away from us without getting points tonight, so that’s a concern for me.”
Unlike the Golden Knights’ 5-4 victories against San Jose and Calgary in extra time, this one wasn’t close in the end.
Coming off a four-point performance that included the overtime game-winner, captain Mark Stone said the Golden Knights lost control of the game after Benson’s goal made it 3-2.
“That’s when we started to chase it when we really didn’t need to,” he said. “[Buffalo’s] a team that gives you chances. They like to trade chances with you. It kind of plays into their game. Obviously, we feel like we’re a better team, we just didn’t stick to our system well enough tonight. Kind of played into their hand a little bit, which is kind of a run-and-gun game.”
Cassidy felt the shift happened after Eichel’s go-ahead goal.
“We did have the lead in the third period, so it is a 2-1 game for us after Jack’s goal,” he said. “It’s a big goal, so now bear down and play the right way, play winning hockey. We didn’t. We played losing hockey after that, and what did we do? We lost. So there’s a little bit of a lesson to be learned there.”
The loss moves Vegas to 20-6-5 on the season, though the Golden Knights remain in first place with 45 points.
They will look to turn the page before hosting Stone’s former club, the Ottawa Senators, Sunday night.
“We were able to take four points out of this building, but that’s not going to happen for long when you give up four goals a night,” Cassidy said. “So that’s the first thing we’re going to aim to correct tomorrow and hopefully get it tilted the right way again starting Sunday against Ottawa.”
(Photo of Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)