BUFFALO, N.Y. — There was a lot to live up to for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres Monday night after their meeting a month ago was universally acclaimed as one of the best games in the NHL this season.

“I think we’re in the entertainment business,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper deadpanned when asked about replicating that game. “It’s about selling tickets.”

In the Lightning’s 4-2 loss Monday, KeyBank Center was packed again, bringing a playoff energy as the Sabres played their first game in the building since clinching their first playoff berth in 15 years on Saturday.

The Lightning, who also clinched a berth Saturday, slipped into a tie with the Sabres atop the Atlantic Division, though with a game in hand. With games coming up in Ottawa, Montreal and Boston, how Tampa Bay performs this week will play a major role in determining its first-round opponent.

While there was some physical play and early scrums in the opening minutes Monday, the game didn’t compare to last month’s 8-7 Sabres win that featured a combined 15 goals and 102 penalty minutes.

Eventually, the game settled into one between two teams trying to perfect their winning formulas for the postseason ahead.

The Lightning were without two of their top two-way players, as Brandon Hagel sat for a third straight game with a lower-body injury and Anthony Cirelli was out with an undisclosed injury.

Nikita Kucherov’s first-period power-play goal, the 400th goal of his career, tied the game at 1-1 with 8:15 left in the period. He took a cross-ice pass from Jake Guentzel and snapped the puck in from the right circle. He became just the second Lightning player to reach 400 goals, joining Steven Stamkos, who holds the franchise record with 555.

Both teams struggled to stay out of the penalty box. Though Kucherov scored on the man advantage, the Lightning power play was off its game, allowing five shorthanded scoring chances.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy kept the Lightning in the game. He stopped Zach Benson, who was all alone at the edge of the crease, with a glove save, and turned away Alex Tuch twice from in front while the Sabres were shorthanded.

Just 2:19 after Kucherov’s goal, the Sabres retook the lead on Josh Norris’ goal from the right circle. Guentzel evened the score at 3:56 of the second, but Jason Zucker’s redirection from in front at 7:38 put Buffalo back ahead.

Jack Quinn sealed the Sabres’ win with an empty-net goal with just under two minutes remaining.

Lightning center Brayden Point took a scary tumble in the first period, crashing into Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a breakaway and knocking the net off its moorings. Replays showed that Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson pushed Point from behind before he collided with Luukkonen with his right hip and leg, spinning into the air before going down to the ice.

Point went down the tunnel to the dressing room but returned for the start of the second period.

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