The LA Kings conceded six goals in the third period in a 6-0 defeat against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday evening at KeyBank Center.
After the first two periods saw no goals between the two teams, Buffalo exploded for six goals in the third period, including three on the power play, to break open a tight game until that point.
First, forward Tage Thompson snapped the 0-0 game 1:21 into the third period, with Buffalo on a 5-on-3 power play. Off a won faceoff, Thompson walked in from the right point and snapped a shot past Kings netminder Pheonix Copley from the slot, underneath the crossbar and in, for his 22nd goal of the season.
Midway through the period, Buffalo struck twice in quick succession, turning a 1-0 lead into a 3-0 lead with two goals in 13 seconds. First, forward Victor Olofsson converted off of a quick passing play, with Buffalo winning the puck on the forecheck, working it quickly around the net with a pair of passes before Olofsson buried first time from the slot. The Sabres made it 3-0 seconds later, as forward J.J. Peterka buried off the rush for his seventh goal of the season.
The Sabres extended their lead to five with a pair of power-play goals less than two minutes apart. First, forward Alex Tuch collected a loose puck in the slot, spun and fired past Copley to make it 4-0. Thompson scored his second of the game, and 23rd of the season, to make it 5-0. Thompson is now tied for second in the NHL with 23 goals.
Buffalo capped off the scoring with 1:27 left in regulation, bringing the score to a final of 6-0. Forward Peyton Krebs was the goalscorer for the hosts, his third tally of the season.
Hear from Kings captain Anze Kopitar and Head Coach Todd McLellan following tonight’s game.
Anze Kopitar
On penalties derailing the effort through 40 minutes
The effort was there for the first 40 and then unnecessary penalties obviously. PK goals against. On the flip side, we couldn’t get anything going on the powerplay either.
On if the penalties tonight being stick infractions makes it harder to take
Yeah, obviously it’s not ideal, whichever way you take penalties. We’ve got to find a way to avoid them.
On the team allowing two goals in quick succession tonight and as of late
I don’t know if I can pinpoint anything specifically, but the bottom line is we got to figure it out and not allow that to happen.
On what he feels the first step back is with the game in Boston on Thursday
You want to finish a road trip with a win. As very average as this trip has been going, we can still go home with a .500 record. So, we’ll do whatever we’ve got to do tomorrow to get ready for Thursday and then we’ll try to win a hockey game.
Todd McLellan
On the role that penalties taken played in the game turning around
Well, it played a huge part in the game. We took six penalties in the last half of the game, a lot of them in succession, only one in our zone. So, that tells you enough about our game.
On the two goals in 13 seconds, and where the breakdowns are there
Responsibility, carelessness. The goal that they scored right after, we’re in a two-man forecheck and guys lose their man. We’ve been talking about it all year, so no I can’t explain it.
On if he felt anything carried over from the end of the second that led to the way the third went
Penalties. Penalties, it’s as simple as that.
On if he got the defensive buy-in he wanted in the first 40
It doesn’t matter, we didn’t have it in the third. We gave up six goals in the third period, five of them came after the 10-minute mark, that’ll tell you enough.
Notes –
– Buffalo’s six goals in the third period marked just the second time this season a team has scored six goals in a period (NYR, 11/10/22 @ DET).
– The six goals against fell one shy of the most goals the Kings have allowed in a period in franchise history.
– The Kings conceded three power-play goals tonight, the seventh time this season they’ve allowed multiple power-play goals in a game.
– Defenseman Drew Doughty led the Kings with a game-high 25:47 in time on ice, while Anze Kopitar paced the forwards at 20:40.
– Doughty and forward Adrian Kempe led the team with five shots on goal apiece
The Kings are scheduled to hold a team practice tomorrow at noon from TD Garden in Boston.
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