LOS ANGELES — The Kings continued to exact revenge after the All-Star break, burying the Buffalo Sabres beneath four second-period goals in a 5-2 victory on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings’ second win in as many games since the pause and their 30th of the season.
They walloped Buffalo, one of the NHL’s most prolific offenses, on Monday and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who feature three future Hall of Famers, on Saturday by an aggregate score of 11-2. Those efforts salvaged season-series splits against teams that they had lost to by a combined count of 12-1 in their earlier meetings this season.
Winger Adrian Kempe contributed a goal and an assist, bringing his total to a staggering seven goals during the Kings’ three-game points streak. Linemates Viktor Arvidsson (goal, two assists) and Phillip Danault (three assists) combined for six points. The Kings also got goals from defensemen Sean Walker and Matt Roy, as well as winger Arthur Kaliyev. Pheonix Copley earned the win with 27 saves.
Centers Dylan Cozens and Peyton Krebs scored academic goals for Buffalo after the game reached a 5-0 score. Craig Anderson was touched up for five goals on 28 shots.
“We’re scoring, we’re playing tight defensively as well, Copley’s kicking, so we’ve just got to keep going the right way, we’ve got to bring that every game,” Danault said.
Copley nearly posted his second straight shutout but Cozens, who recently signed a seven-year contract extension worth nearly $50 million, scored off a low wrist shot that hit Copley before squeaking through him with 9:44 left. With 4:51 remaining, Krebs’ redirection on the power play saved a bit more face for the Sabres.
Though the penalty kill was mostly solid, the offense remained balanced and the puck luck persisted, the Kings’ took multiple offensive-zone penalties, gave up a power-play goal and had some lapses, even during the 40 minutes when they dominated the scoreboard.
“There was a lot of things we thought could be better,” said defenseman Sean Durzi, echoing the sentiments of Coach Todd McLellan. “We were fortunate to get the win, but I know that we’ll come back this week, we’ll clean up a few things and we’ve got to continue to get better if we want to have a good push here.”
With 14:46 left, the Kings scored an insurance goal in bizarre fashion. A routine rim-around pass took a wonky bounce off the rear boards, settling the puck inside one of Anderson’s skate blades. As he struggled to locate the puck, Kempe and Arvidsson each stabbed at it, with Arvidsson ultimately depositing it in the net.
These two teams were scoreless through two periods in their December meeting before Buffalo piled on six goals in the final frame. On Monday, nearly half the match elapsed before a goal was scored. Though Buffalo possessed momentum at that point, it was the Kings’ cracking the game open with four unanswered goals in less than 10 minutes.
To close the second period, the Kings scored twice in 33 seconds at even strength, beginning with 1:19 remaining. First, Walker broke up a play in his own zone to initiate a counterattack that he wound up finishing with a wrist shot from above the right circle for his third goal of the season.
Next, forward Quinton Byfield won a battle below the goal line, keying a give-and-go play between Roy and Kempe that culminated in Roy’s goal from near the left faceoff dot. Roy’s seventh goal of the season, tops among Kings defensemen, added to what was already a career-best campaign.
Earlier in the period, the Kings buoyed their attack with a pair of special-teams goals.
At the 12:35 mark, after winning the offensive-zone faceoff, the Kings set up Danault for a one-timer from the left side of the low slot. He fanned on the shot, and the puck drifted across the slot to Kaliyev, who hammered the puck past Anderson. Kaliyev had missed nearly two months due to a lower-body injury and had last scored a goal on Dec. 3.
After the Kings played a sound opening period and dominated the faceoff circle, Buffalo controlled possession and play alike through the first nine minutes of the second period and earned its third power-play opportunity of the evening.
“We got away with a lot of stuff tonight,” McLellan said. “I wasn’t overly impressed with our team tonight; I thought we did things that we shouldn’t be doing.”
But it was the Kings, who had strayed from the structure they showed in the first period, striking first, and shorthanded. Center Blake Lizotte broke up a pass, stole the puck and found Kempe, who backed up defenseman Owen Power before letting a short-side shot rip from atop the left circle for his team-leading 27th goal of the season.
“He’s on fire. I touched his stick a little bit to get some luck,” Danault said of Kempe. “We need that from him and he’s stepping up big time.”
Coach McLellan sounding off after the 5-2 victory????@LAKings | #LAKingsLive pic.twitter.com/tmZc71kYzj
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 14, 2023
KEMPE STAYS HOT ????@LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/bPCg3BF7Uz
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 14, 2023
OH YAY‼️ 2-0 in the 2nd period ????@LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/bHt7L515Aw
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 14, 2023
WALKER WITH A GOAL ????@LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/Uo6tHs4FZ6
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 14, 2023
CUATRO NADA‼️ ROY MAKES IT 4-0@LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/d5F2sTZAqd
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 14, 2023
Power Play goal for Arvidsson ????@LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/qnz7PSuJRb
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 14, 2023
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