"We can't afford to have games like this": Captain Brad Marchand makes feelings known after Boston Bruins' blowout loss to Buffalo Sabres

The Boston Bruins endured a tough 7-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, dropping the Bruins' record to 25-21-6 on the season. The Bruins currently hold the wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but other teams are quickly gaining ground.

After the blowout defeat, captain Brad Marchand voiced his frustration, saying (Start at 7:10):

"We just, we, obviously, we're desperate right now, and, you know, we can't afford to have games like this where we were not prepared. You know, we need every point, and they're a better team than what the record shows. You can't take that team lightly."

Brad Marchand recognized that, despite the Sabres being in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 19-26-5 record, they’re a skilled team with some of the league’s top talent.

"They got a couple saves at the right time where, you know, could have been a little different game," Marchand added."But, you know, we still don't push that."

For the Boston Bruins, Mason Lohrei and Marchand found the back of the net, while goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves.

Meanwhile, Buffalo got hat tricks from Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka. Zach Benson also scored for the Sabres, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves in net.

Joe Sacco on Boston Bruins' 7-2 loss to Buffalo Sabres

Mason Lohrei opened the scoring for the Boston Bruins with a snap shot in the first period, but Buffalo's Tage Thompson quickly tied it with a one-timer. Thompson struck again early in the second, finishing a tic-tac-toe play, and JJ Peterka extended the Sabres' lead to 3-1 moments later with a wrist shot. (Start at 0:33)

"A couple of goals that we scored, they come out and they respond right away. We have to better than that that next shift. I would say game management probably was the most disappointing thing here tonight.” Boston coach Joe Sacco said.

The third period saw Thompson complete his hat trick with a sharp-side shot, bringing the score to 4-1. Brad Marchand gave the Bruins a glimmer of hope with a power-play goal, but Peterka snuffed out the rally just 30 seconds later.

“You’re going to make mistakes in hockey, they happen in the course of a game, but it’s how we respond right after those mistakes," Sacco added.

Peterka completed his own hat trick with an empty-net goal, and Zach Benson added a late power-play tally to secure the Sabres’ decisive victory.