Buffalo moved into a tie with the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference. Carolina, which lost 5-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, has one game in hand.
“We’re still in one heck of a battle when you look at where the conference is at, where the division standings are sitting,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “There are some good signs, and they’re believing in how we need to play.”
Adin Hill made 23 saves for the Golden Knights (31-23-14), who had won two in a row.
“[Luukkonen] made a lot of saves. Then when we beat him, we hit the bar or missed the net offensively,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “The numbers are going to look great, yet it’s a goose egg. There is no consolation in that. We need to finish better.”
Vegas dropped to third in the Pacific Division, one point behind the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks. Edmonton, which has played one more game, defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Tuesday.
“We have to bury more shots,” Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl said. “We couldn’t quite finish it, and it was a close game. It’s tough, but I think it was, from us, a pretty good game. You’re going to play a lot of close games come playoff time.”
Doan gave the Sabres a 1-0 at at 18:02 of the first period. Hill went to play a dump-in behind the net, but he couldn't control the puck, and before he could back into his net, Doan banked a shot in off his right pad.
“It’s just easier to throw it in there off the feet and create a little bit of chaos,” Doan said. “That’s one where if he doesn’t move, it’s a good angle to go in.”
