Sabres conquer Kings with four-goal outburst
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres scored four goals in a span of 6:13 on their way to a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
Jack Eichel had two goals for Buffalo (11-11-6). Ryan O'Reilly, Brian Gionta, Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart also scored. Robin Lehner made 30 saves.
Jeff Carter had two goals for Los Angeles (14-12-2), and Anze Kopitar also scored. Peter Budaj made 18 saves and was briefly pulled at the end of the second period.
Kopitar opened the scoring three minutes into the game, using his strength to get by O'Reilly and put just enough on his shot to make it 1-0.
Carter made it 2-0 at 7:34 of the second period on a breakaway goal, lifting a quick wrist shot into the top of the net for his team-best 13th goal of the year.
The Sabres stormed back with four goals on seven shots in the second period.
O'Reilly got the Sabres on the board midway through the second, jumpstarting Buffalo's comeback at 9:31. O'Reilly looped inside the Kings' zone before lifting a high backhand shot for his seventh goal of the year.
Eichel made it 2-2 with his first goal of the evening. The sophomore superstar's shot from long range had little on it but tucked just inside the left post with 6:24 left in the second.
Gionta made it 3-2 only 12 seconds later, deflecting a long shot by defenseman Justin Falk with his left skate.
The Kings briefly pulled Budaj after Gionta's goal in favor of Jeff Zatkoff, but it made little difference for Los Angeles. Eichel picked up his second goal less than two minutes later. Zatkoff had no chance on the goal, a hard wrist shot that launched into the top corner of the net and gave Buffalo a 4-2 lead with 4:16 left in the second.
Budaj returned to open the third period, and the Kings got back into it 4:03 into the third on Carter's second. Carter scored on a quick wrist shot after a faceoff win to cut Buffalo's lead to 4-3.
Kane gave the Sabres much-needed breathing room with 4:18 remaining. The power forward put home a centering pass from Eichel to make it 5-3 on his fourth goal of the year.
Reinhart added an empty-net goal with 25.9 seconds remaining.
NOTES: D Zach Bogosian (knee) and C Derek Grant were scratched for the Sabres. Bogosian skated at the team's morning skate for the first time since suffering a knee sprain. Bogosian, who has missed 18 games, told reporters that he does not have a specific timetable for his return and is taking it day by day. ... RW Devin Setoguchi, D Tom Gilbert and C Nic Dowd were scratched for the Kings. ... This was the first of two games between the teams this season. Their second meeting takes place March 16 in Los Angeles.