Buffalo Sabres winger Kyle Okposo skates ahead of Seattle's Alex Wennberg during the second period Thursday night. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

SEATTLE – The Buffalo Sabres were getting drubbed all night by the expansion Seattle Kraken but the third period was still set up for them Thursday in Climate Pledge Arena.

The Sabres were outshot, 30-11, through 40 minutes and only spectacular work by Dustin Tokarski in goal allowed them to salvage a 2-2 tie. They simply had to find their game long enough to win a period and get a split of their four-game road trip.

Didn't happen. The third period was much like the first two. Tokarski stopped Calle Jarnkrok on a breakaway in the first minute but the scoring chances continued and the goals followed.

Jordan Eberle scored a pair of third-period goals to complete the first hat trick in Kraken history and Seattle added a Jaden Schwartz empty-netter to overpower the Sabres, 5-2, before a roaring sellout crowd of 17,151.

"It doesn't really matter how the first 40 (minutes) went, good or bad," Tokarski said. "We were right there 20 minutes to win a game and we didn't get it done. That's the disappointing part for sure."

A few hours after former captain Jack Eichel was dealt to Vegas, the Sabres were outhustled all over the ice.  They gave up three breakaways while on the power play and numerous odd-man rushes. Tokarski was bailing them out continuously. 

"They threw a lot of pressure at us early," said coach Don Granato. "Certainly there was a lot of actual but a lot of perceived pressure too. Even when we broke pressure, we turned pucks back or were a little bit too deliberate and had it coming at us again."

Eberle benefited from a pick play that took out Will Butcher to curl around Kyle Okposo and stuff the puck past Tokarski at 1:50 of the third period and give Seattle the lead. He then took a Schwartz pass and went wide on Rasmus Dahlin to beat Tokarski with a slapshot that appeared to be fanned on and slipped through the goalie's legs.

"If it goes through you, you've got to save it," Tokarski said. "I don't know if he meant to go there, fanned on it or hit our D-men's stick. I'm not too sure but regardless it's got to be a save."

The Sabres fell to 5-4-1 with their third straight loss after winning the opener of the trip in overtime at Anaheim. The Kraken are 4-6-1, including 3-2 at home.

Here are some other observations on the game:

1. Individual effort

Tage Thompson scored what might rate as the signature goal of his Sabres career at 6:27 of the second period, taking the puck in his own zone and wheeling the length of the ice to beat Philipp Grubauer with a quick wrist shot for his third goal of the season. 

"When we're tight and have good support, we break right through them," Thompson said. "I was able to come up with a lot of speed and just get a shot on net and it went in."

2. Giving away the lead

With Tokarski serving as their best penalty killer, the Sabres went 4 for 4 on the PK unit to extend the slump for a Seattle power play that entered the game in an 0-for-17 skid.

On the power play, the Sabres connected on Okposo's goal at 17:59 of the second, a quick wrist shot from the right circle that benefited from a perfect Zemgus Girgensons screen and gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead.

The advantage lasted 26 seconds. Robert Hagg and Mark Pysyk got crossed up behind the net and Schwartz fed Eberle in the slot for a quick shot to the top corner that got the Kraken even with 1:35 left in the second.

3. Dahlin's doldrums

It was another tough night for Rasmus Dahlin, who has been having turnover issues at the point of the offensive zone and is regularly getting beat defensively. And he became a GIF file for all-time with his pratfall as he tried to fire the puck out of the empty net after the fifth Seattle goal. Dahlin fanned and splatted on the ice.

Dahlin had a minus-2 night and just one shot on goal while playing 24:52. He also had just a meager 30.3% Corsi rating at 5-on-5, with the Kraken taking 23 of the 33 shot attempts while he was on the ice (and 16 of the 21 that were on goal).

4. You get a lot for $1.15 billion

The Kraken's new lair is perhaps the most spectacular arena in the NHL, and was absolutely the most ambitious construction project the league has ever seen.

Key Arena, the former home of the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, was gutted and the iconic 44-million pound roof built for the 1962 World's Fair was held up on stilts while the new arena was dug deeper into the ground.

Street level is at the arena's upper concourse and escalators in the main atrium carry patrons down rather than up. The arena also features dual jumbotrons located in each offensive zone with curved ends so all fans can see a close picture. And the fans are loud throughout.

"It was an atmosphere that these players haven't seen in two years probably, before the Covid break," Granato said. "Playoff feeling, playoff noise. And I felt that our guys perceived pressure that wasn't there."

"It was a lot of fun. It was a heck of a building to play in," Tokarski said. "They have something good here. Good city with good fans."

There's even windows at one end on street level, allowing people outside to have a view of much of the ice and the jumbotrons.

Joked Granato before the game: "I'd like to speak now to every architect that ever bulids an arena: Please put windows in."

5. Around the boards

Victor Olofsson (soft tissue) missed his second straight game but Granato said he was possible trending to probable for Saturday's game against Detroit. ... The Sabres are 14-3-2 in their first game against post-1970 expansion teams. Their previous one was a 5-4 overtime loss at Vegas in 2017. ... Climate Pledge became the 78th arena/stadium to host a Sabres game. Buffalo will add Nos. 79 and 80 to that list when it plays Dec. 30 in UBS Arena, the new home of the New York Islanders, and March 13 in the Heritage Classic against Toronto outdoors at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont.

6. Next

The Sabres spent the night and were slated to fly home Friday morning. They return to action Saturday night in KeyBank Center against the Red Wings and go right back on the road again to play Washington on Monday in Capital One Arena.

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