The Golden Knights never trailed. They had the lead with just over two minutes remaining despite not playing anything close to their A game.

One of their top goal scorers had an empty net about 50 feet away that could have sealed the win.

Instead, the Knights leave western New York with only one point after collapsing late in the third period and losing 4-3 in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Saturday.

An exasperated Bruce Cassidy — normally one for well-versed, descriptive comments — took four questions postgame and finished in less than two minutes.

“I’m still trying to digest what just happened,” Cassidy said.

The Knights (39-19-8) were outplayed against a Buffalo team that’s in last place in the Eastern Conference at 26-33-6.

The Sabres entered Saturday giving up 3.53 goals on 27.1 shots per game. The Knights had two goals on 18 shots through 57 minutes.

The third goal came on a rebound from center Jack Eichel, the former Buffalo captain, who scored with 2:33 remaining to give the Knights a 3-2 lead.

Buffalo pulled goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the extra attacker with 1:32 remaining. Center Tomas Hertl forced a turnover at the defensive blue line and skated down the right side.

Hertl crossed the offensive blue line with Buffalo left wing Beck Malenstyn draped to his left. Open cage in sight, he had the game on his stick.

Instead, Hertl passed the puck to Eichel, who was not expecting it to come his way, and Buffalo regained possession.

The Sabres got one more chance off an offensive-zone draw, and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin’s blast from the point beat a screened Adin Hill to tie it with 14 seconds left.

“I’d like to see him shoot the puck in the net and end the game. That’s what I’d like to see,” said Cassidy when asked if he’d like to see the play done differently. “I think the whole team would like to see that.”

The Knights had no shots on goal in overtime. Their best chance came 36 seconds in when Eichel’s breakaway attempt missed wide.

Left wing Victor Olofsson scored in the first round of the shootout, but Eichel and right wing Pavel Dorofeyev didn’t convert on their chances.

Buffalo right wing Jack Quinn scored in the second round, and former Knights forward Alex Tuch scored the winner in the third round.

“Not our best,” Olofsson said after his first game back in Buffalo since signing a one-year deal with the Knights on July 2. “I don’t think we came up to our standard today.”

Hill made 34 saves in his first start since signing a six-year, $37.5 million extension on Friday.

Dorofeyev scored for the third straight game, and center Brett Howden scored for the Knights, who have earned four of a possible six points on this four-game road trip.

The trip wraps up Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings, who are 1-7-0 in their past eight games. Buffalo entered Saturday also losers of seven of eight.

That wound up not mattering in the end.

“Total lack of respect,” Cassidy said. “That’s probably most of the night, but the way it kind of ended probably sums it up.”

Three takeaways from the loss:

1. Not Hill’s fault

The lasting image in an overtime or shootout loss is what the goalie gave up in the end.

No blame should go to Hill for this one.

He faced a flurry of shots early for the second straight game. After facing 16 in the first on Thursday in Columbus, he stopped all 12 in the opening 20 minutes Saturday.

There was no help this time. He saw 24 shots in the final two periods combined.

He did enough to see the Knights go up 2-0 after Dorofeyev followed his own rebound at 12:06 of the second.

Buffalo center Ryan McLeod got behind the Knights’ defense on the ensuing draw and beat Hill five-hole seven seconds later to make it 2-1.

You can make the argument that was his only mistake.

Buffalo tied it at 9:53 of the third on the power play when defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s clearing attempt landed right in the lap of Sabres forward Jason Zucker, and his uncontested slot attempt beat Hill.

Hill didn’t make a save on the three shootout attempts — the first from center Tage Thompson hit the post — but nitpicking a goalie in a shootout, when it shouldn’t have gone to a shootout in the first place, is excessive.

2. Howden scraps

Saturday was one of the better all-around games from Howden. Not just because he scored, or because he played a solid defensive game.

The physical side also came out.

Howden leveled Buffalo center Jiri Kulich with 10:38 left in the second period, knocking him out of the game. Sabres forward Peyton Krebs retaliated by dropping the gloves with Howden.

Krebs was assessed 17 penalty minutes, including two for instigating that gave the Knights a power play. They had no shots on that man advantage.

Right wing Keegan Kolesar dropped the gloves with Sabres forward Jordan Greenway shortly after the power play expired.

One team woke up after those tilts — the one that trailed 1-0 at that point.

3. Boo birds were out

Eichel is still loathed in Buffalo nearly four years after he was traded to the Knights for Tuch, Krebs and a first-round pick.

He was booed every time he touched the puck. The crowd cheered each time a Buffalo player bumped him off the puck.

Eichel’s goal was almost another storybook moment in his revenge against his former team. He raised his arms in the air, pumped his fist and jumped against the boards.

The goal was Eichel’s 80th point of the season and extended his point streak to eight games.

There’s still sour grapes in Sabres fans’ eyes on Eichel’s exit from Buffalo, but it worked out for Eichel. He won a Stanley Cup, is having a Hart Trophy-caliber season and is preparing for another playoff run with the Knights.

The Sabres, meanwhile, are going to miss the playoffs for a 14th straight year.

Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.

Up next

Who: Golden Knights at Red Wings

When: 10 a.m. Sunday

Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

TV/radio: TNT, truTV; KKGK (1340 AM, 98.9 FM)