The Los Angeles Kings are blanked by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and the Buffalo Sabres, marking the 1st time the Kings are shut out this season.
1st Period
A slow start for the Kings had them sitting on their heels to begin the game, but both teams walked out of the 1st period scoreless. The Kings' best chances offensively came from Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala early on. Goaltender David Rittich put together a strong period, highlighted by a nice stop off Jason Zucker in the slot.
2nd Period
The Kings looked better in period 2, but still could not get on the board. Philip Danault was able to beat Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a turn-around shot but could not beat the post.
The Kings had three more powerplay attempts in the middle frame, generating some solid chances from in tight to the Buffalo net, but were unable to convert. A shorthanded 2-on-1 opportunity for LA was broken up Through two periods, we remained scoreless.
3rd Period
A late 2nd period penalty from Quinton Byfield would come back to bite the Kings as Jason Zucker redirected a Rasmus Dahlin shot past Rittich as Buffalo opened the scoring just 38 seconds into the 3rd period.
Jim Hiller brought the line blender out after this, reuniting the Kempe, Kopitar, and Byfield line which generated the Kings' best chance with just under 9 minutes left in regulation and a 5th Kings powerplay. The Kings called David Rittich to the bench with 2:37 to go but were unable to convert as both Byfield and Kempe missed on open net chances.
Other Notes from Los Angeles Kings vs. Buffalo Sabres
- Trevor Moore saw his 8 game point streak come to an end. The streak was the longest active mark in the league and the longest of Moore's career.
- The Kings went 0/5 on the powerplay tonight, the 3rd time the Kings have done so this season. LA has last all three of those games.
The Kings see themselves with another two-day break after tonight, with their next game scheduled for Saturday at 1:00pm against the Seattle Kraken.