Sabres' power play lost them the game against Vegas

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR) - On Sunday the Buffalo Sabres got spanked by the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 and the game isn't hard to break down. The Sabres came out and had a great first period throwing pucks towards Adin Hill. Hill stopped all 14 shots, but Buffalo had over 30 shot attempts and many Hill didn't even have to handle.

Jiri Kulich led a 2-on-1 and hit the crossbar, Peyton Krebs came down the slot on a 3-on-2 and Hill stopped him, late in the period Tage Thompson had a one-timer from the left circle that Hill made the save on, Noah Ostlund got a shorthanded breakaway and Hill again came up big.

Colten Ellis came up big on two Vegas power plays stopping Victor Olofsson on a one-timer and also Mitch Marner.

Had Buffalo continued to play the rest of the game like they did the first period, they would've had an excellent opportunity to win.

Jack Quinn started the second period with a great chance coming down the slot, but Hill got his elbow on the shot. Vegas then decided to make a pilgrimage to the penalty box giving the Sabres power plays at 2:56, 5:30 and 11:31. Instead of Buffalo taking over the game, they had three of the most horrific power plays I've seen in a long time and it totally took the wind out of them and gave the Golden Knights the momentum and the game.

Thompson turned the puck over a William Karlsson had a breakaway that Colten Ellis stopped. Ellis also made a save on the rebound.

Before the next power play, Sam Carrick blew a tire and Mattias Samuelsson faced a 2-on-1 and broke it up. Then Ivan Barbashev went to the box and the Sabres finished giving the game away. Thompson was on the blue line and allowed Marner to take the puck away. He put a slick move on Ellis for the shorthanded goal. Just 12 seconds after Barbashev's penalty ended, he bolted out of the box and to the net. Owen Power handed him the puck, he dropped it to Jack Eichel and the former Sabres made no mistake. That was two goals in 1:26 pretty much on the same penalty.

The Sabres got back into it when Carrick, Tyson Kozak and Beck Malenstyn crashed the crease and didn't stop until Malenstyn had his first goal of the season.

It didn't matter because Buffalo just kept making mistake after mistake and Tomas Hertl scored twice and the Sabres just hung their goalie out to dry. Power and Rasmus Dahlin were on the ice for three goals against and they couldn't have played worse. For Dahlin, he hasn't been consistant this season, but Power has, that was a rare bad game for him.

If you want to be a good team you best players have to be your best players. For Vegas, Hertl, Marner, and Eichel were while Thompson, Dahlin and Power weren't even close.

Buffalo is now 4-5-0 at home and 8-6-3 overall. The Sabres close out their four-game homestand Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.