The Bruins were missing bodies and any semblance of cohesion Tuesday night as their road woes continued against the worst home team in the NHL.

Tage Thompson and J.J. Peterka each had hat tricks to lead the last-place Sabres to a 7-2 drubbing of Boston at Key Bank Arena.

The Bruins, who are 1-7-2 since Christmas, missed a chance to gain some ground in the playoff race as the top wild-card contenders each lost. They return home to face the Jets on Thursday at TD Garden.

Brandon Carlo, a game-time decision with an illness, didn’t play leaving the Bruins without their top three defensemen. Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy both returned to practice on Monday, but didn’t make the trip.

Carlo’s absence meant even more minutes of defensemen, who were already playing more-than-ideal minutes.

Good things usually happen for Boston when a defenseman scores, so there was reason for optimism when Mason Lohrei made a nifty maneuver in the offensive zone to put the Bruins up 1-0 with 7:16 left in the first.

But the Sabres tied the game before the first intermission on one Thompson goal and pulled ahead in the second on another. J.J. Peterka beat Jeremy Swayman on the rush 6:32 into the second to put Boston in a 3-1 hole.

Thompson completed his hat trick, 3:13 into the third to make it 4-1.

Brad Marchand gave the Bruins brief hope when he beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with 9:47 left in the game, But 30 seconds later Peterka split Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon and beat Swayman to make it 5-2 ending any suspense.

Peterka completed his hat trick with an empty-netter.

While the Bruins were missing defensemen, it wasn’t the fill-ins who were getting burned. On three of the first four goals Nikita Zadorov and Andrew Peeke were on the ice.

Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves in an off night for Boston.

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