Seattle Kraken suffer through low-energy loss to Buffalo Sabres

Sabres 3, Kraken 1 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle

Notable: The Kraken locker room is battling illness, and it showed in a low-scoring, low-energy loss to the Eastern Conference’s worst team.

After a buzzy start to the season, Seattle has one win in its past nine games.

On the only scoring play of the first period, Buffalo’s Noah Ostlund and Josh Norris tossed the puck back and forth on a speedy 2-on-1. Ostlund finished the chance, beating lunging Joey Daccord (20 saves).

It got worse for Daccord. He was left to deal with a 2-on-0 after defenseman Vince Dunn tried to dump the puck up the boards and bungled it. Sabres leading scorer Tage Thompson went to the net and shoved that turnover right down the Kraken’s throats.

Two minutes later, Chandler Stephenson was booted from the faceoff circle in favor of Kraken teammate Matty Beniers. All the better to score Seattle’s first goal of the game, six seconds into a power play. Stephenson fired it in off the near goalpost.

Beniers drew that penalty, something he’s done in three straight games. The Kraken (12-12-6) scored on two of the ensuing power plays.

And that’s where the score stayed. The Kraken bench called Daccord over with about 1:15 remaining in regulation, which led to Zach Benson’s empty-net goal. Dunn and Beniers tried to snuff out the chance but there were too many Sabres huddled around the empty cage.

There was a moment of literal levity as the Sabres were pinned down while the Kraken pressed for the equalizer midway through the third period. Two Buffalo sticks went flying into the air — one in pieces, the other still whole — and goaltender Alex Lyon had to dive on the rebound of Eeli Tolvanen’s shot to help the Sabres survive the odd sequence.

Quotable: “Right now, we have to play the perfect game to give ourselves a chance to win. There (are) mistakes here and there that are reaching up and biting us.” — coach Lane Lambert

Player of the game: Sabres winger Alex Tuch (two assists)

Goal of the game: The Ostlund-Norris connection on Buffalo’s first goal was certainly stylish.

On tap: The Kraken have one more home game before they’re on the road until Christmas. Seattle will host playoff foe Colorado on Tuesday in the teams’ first meeting of the season.