Buffalo Sabres Turn the Third-Period Tide on the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena

The Buffalo Sabres moved to 44-20 with 6 overtime losses and 4 points, and the Los Angeles Kings went to 28-25 with 16 overtime losses and 1 point after a 4-1 result at Crypto.com Arena. The Sabres recorded 32 shots and 4 goals, while the Kings finished with 27 shots and 1 goal.

First period

The Los Angeles Kings opened the scoring with 1 goal in the first period, while the Buffalo Sabres were held to 0 goals in the opening period. The Kings logged 3 power plays in the game and generated 6 power-play shots, and the Sabres penalty kill faced those looks with 6 shots against while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen posted 5 shorthanded saves. The Kings led the faceoff circle with a 66 percent faceoff win rate, while the Sabres finished at 34 percent.

Second period

The Sabres answered in the second period with 1 goal to tie the game at 1-1. The Blue and Gold converted their only power-play opportunity, going 1-for-1, and that special-teams finish stood against a Kings unit that also went 1-for-3 on the power play. The Swords produced 7 takeaways and limited the Kings to 4 takeaways, which fed Buffalo possession plays that pushed the shot count toward 32.

Third period

The Sabres broke the game open with 3 goals in the third period, and the Kings were held scoreless in the third period. Tage Thompson, the game’s first star, scored 1 goal on 3 shots, and Luukkonen closed with 26 saves on 27 shots against in the win. Zach Benson finished with 2 points on 1 goal and 1 assist, and Sam Carrick added 1 goal on 3 shots as Buffalo’s scoring depth showed up on the road. An empty-net goal gave the Sabres 1 empty-netter on the night, and Buffalo ended at 12 percent shooting compared with the Kings at 4 percent in this Buffalo Sabres vs Los Angeles Kings match summary. The Kings delivered 27 hits to Buffalo’s 15, and Los Angeles goaltending totaled 29 saves on 32 shots against as the margin swung on the game-changing plays Buffalo Sabres vs Los Angeles Kings.

Postgame notes

The Sabres finished with 10 points on 4 goals and 6 assists, while the Kings posted 3 points on 1 goal and 2 assists in the post-game report Buffalo Sabres. The Kings recorded 11 giveaways to Buffalo’s 10, and Buffalo’s plus-minus finished at plus-15 while Los Angeles ended at minus-16. The Sabres’ 6 penalty minutes came on 3 minor penalties, and the Kings were assessed 2 penalty minutes as Buffalo Sabres post-game interviews centered on a 1-for-1 power play and a third-period surge.

The Sabres next game is scheduled for 3/22/2026 at 8:00 PM EDT against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center at 2695 E Katella Avenue in Anaheim, California. Fans can watch on ESPN+, MSG-B, KTTV, and Victory+, so lock in for the broadcast and share this article with other Sabres fans.