Vegas Golden Knights @ Buffalo Sabres Game Thread — March 3, 2026

📅 Date: Tonight, Tuesday, March 3, 2026
🕖 Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
📍 Location: KeyBank Center

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🔍 Storylines to Watch

The Sabres host the Golden Knights tonight after a hot stretch since the Olympic break, including a convincing 6-2 win over Tampa Bay and a 3-2 win at Florida.

Vegas will be without captain Mark Stone, sidelined with an arm injury, which could open up opportunities up front.

Buffalo’s Olympic heroes — including Tage Thompson — will be honored in a pregame ceremony, adding emotion to tonight’s home atmosphere.

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📊 Key Players

Sabres to Watch

• Tage Thompson — dynamic scorer and recent Team USA Olympic gold medalist.

• Rasmus Dahlin — driving play from the blue line with creative offense.

• Peyton Krebs — physical and skilled, continues to drive momentum.

Injuries for Buffalo

Jordan Greenway (middle body), Conor Timmins (broken leg), Jiri Kulich (blood clot), Justin Danforth (lower body)

Golden Knights to Watch

• Vegas will look to secondary scoring with Stone out, giving players like Pavel Dorofeyev a bigger role tonight.

• Goalie play and depth scoring will be key with Buffalo matching intensity at home.

Injuries for Vegas

Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore are both day to day.

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🔧 What to Watch Tonight

• Home Ice Energy: Sabres fans are primed for a big crowd and patriotic buzz from the Olympic recognition.

• Special Teams: Power play efficiency and penalty kill discipline could decide tight moments.

• Momentum: Buffalo’s recent wins give them confidence; Vegas will try to weather the Sabres’ speed and depth.

Let’s go Buffalo! 🏒

1st Period – 

20:00 – The opening faceoff is won by Vegas and the game is under way.

17:00 – 3 minutes in and Tage just put the first shot on goal for either team.

16:09 – Buffalo is doing a good job establishing themselves in the offensive zone, just need to find more opportunities near the net.

15:58 – Jason Zucker scores on a beautiful assist from McLeod. Buffalo leads 1-0

13:23 – Buffalo is really passing the puck well here and closing lanes for Vegas. Kesselring goes down after a puck to the face.

12:21 –  Alex Tuch has been penalized 2 minutes for tripping. We will get our first look of the night at Buffalo’s Penalty Kill.

10:21 – Buffalo has successfully killed the penalty. Back to full strength.

6:18 – Buffalo is still controlling possession of the puck.

3:52 – Buffalo is continuing to pass the puck with great precision here in the first period, they’ve looked the part of the better team.

0:00 – At the end of the first period Buffalo leads Vegas 1-0. Summary coming up.

1st Period Summary:

After a bit of a slow start from both teams, Buffalo started to assert themselves in the offensive zone. Zucker’s goal in the first 4 minutes came off a series of quality passes leading to him getting wide open in front of the net. Throughout the period Buffalo was able to pass the puck well and dominate time in Vegas’s zone. On the defensive end, Buffalo denied Vegas passing lanes and did not give up many good looks at the net. Buffalo outshot Vegas 11-7 in the period and maybe most shockingly won 14 faceoffs to Vegas’s 3. In the second it would be nice to see Buffalo find the back of the net, but as of this moment they are doing everything correctly to win this game.

2nd Period –

20:00 – The opening faceoff is won by Buffalo and the second period is underway.

19:14 – Owen Power scores on a wrist shot from the blue line. Buffalo leads 2-0

16:46 – Buffalo is continuing to keep the pressure on Vegas.

14:16 – TNT, Tuck to Tage Thompson on the one-timer. Buffalo leads 3-0

13:10 – Vegas gets one right back on a Ivan Barbashev goal. Buffalo leads 3-1

11:33 – Pavel Dorofeyev scores five-hole on a breakaway, Vegas erases the Buffalo lead in the blink of an eye. Buffalo leads 3-2

6:55 –  Vegas has started to clean it up and apply more pressure. Buffalo needs to get back to their earlier passing.

2:31 – Quinn had a chance to score on a breakaway but was denied.

0:00 – Lyon denied Vegas on a pair of great looks in the final minute of the period, Buffalo leads Vegas 3-2. 2nd period summary coming up shortly.

2nd period summary:

Buffalo came out with their hair on fire to start the period scoring two goals in the opening 6 minutes. For those 6 minutes the Sabres had some of the cleanest passing they have had all year. However, Vegas quickly fired back with 2 goals and in the blink of an eye erased Buffalo’s breathing room. For the second half of the period Vegas was able to keep the puck in Buffalo’s zone a bit more than earlier in the game and looked improved. If Buffalo wants to close this game out and hold onto their one goal lead they will need to get back to the passing they had in the early parts of the second period. Still, having a lead going into the third against a quality opponent is nothing to scoff at.

3rd Period:

20:00 – The faceoff is won by Vegas and the 3rd period is underway.

15:00 – Neither team has gotten a whole lot going here in the third.

11:45 – Vegas is starting to pick up the intensity, they have held the puck in the Buffalo zone for much of the last 2 minutes.

7:10 – Rasmus Andersson gets penalized for delay of game, we will get our first look of the night at Buffalo’s Power Play.

5:10 – Vegas successfully kills the Buffalo penalty.

2:46 – McLeod misses on a wide open lane to the net.