Sabres vs. Kings
THE STORY: One game does not a season make, but it's unlikely the Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres could have scripted better season openers Friday. Playing on the other side of the Atlantic (Ocean, not division), both teams skated away with victories and, more importantly, got outstanding performances from the players expected to be the centerpieces of their respective squads. Mike Richards, acquired in a much-ballyhooed offseason trade, displayed a flair for his new Hollywood surroundings by scoring the tying goal and setting up the game-winner in overtime in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers in Sweden. The Sabres had no need for such theatrics, using a tried-and-true formula – the goal-scoring of Thomas Vanek and stellar netminding by Ryan Miller in a 4-1 drubbing of Anaheim in Finland. The Kings and Sabres will be part of history when they square off Saturday in Berlin – the first NHL regular-season game to be played in Germany.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, TSN2, MSG
ABOUT THE SABRES (1-0-0): Vanek’s two-goal, one-assist effort was impossible to ignore, but Buffalo had to be encouraged by Miller’s 29-save performance following his erratic campaign in 2010-11. The Sabres killed off all five Anaheim’s power-play chances, including a 5-on-3 in the third period. Of the new acquisitions, Ville Leino scored a goal in his native country while defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr logged 30 shifts apiece but also committed two penalties each.
ABOUT THE KINGS (1-0-0): Defenseman Jack Johnson supplied the game-winning goal at 4:08 of OT. He didn’t score a goal in his final 30 regular-season games last season. Richards’ solid debut aside, Anze Kopitar also came up big with a goal and assist on Johnson’s tally. After Kopitar’s 2010-11 season was ended by a broken ankle on March 26, the Kings’ offense went into a deep freeze, managing only 12 goals in the final seven games.
OVERTIME:
1. A neutral site isn’t the best venue for either the Sabres or Kings, since the home team has won 14 of the last 16 meetings.
2. Miller is 3-0-1 in his last four starts vs. the Kings, but Richards has 11 goals and 14 assists in his last 21 games against the Sabres.
3. Jonathan Bernier will start in net for Los Angeles. He gave up four goals in losing his only career start vs. Buffalo.