Sabres unable to find rhythm during loss to Kings

Frequent trips to the penalty box kept the Sabres from establishing a rhythm during a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings inside Staples Center on Sunday.
The Sabres took six minor penalties, including three in the third period. The Kings fought back from a 2-0 deficit, tying the game on a power-play goal from Anze Kopitar and pulling ahead when Alex Iafallo sent a shot past Dustin Tokarski from the edge of the crease with 6:19 remaining.
"It was just no flow today," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "No rhythm, no flow. Little bit of what they did, little bit of what we didn't do or couldn't do against them. We didn't generate enough chances, enough opportunity to put them on their heels at any point."

Buffalo built its 2-0 lead on the strength of goals from Rasmus Asplund and Victor Olofsson, both of whom extended personal point streaks to three games. Los Angeles responded with a goal from Carl Grundstrom to cut the deficit in half just one minute after Olofsson's goal in the second period.
The Sabres killed all but one of the Kings' six power plays but still felt the consequences of time spent in the box. They spent four of the final six minutes shorthanded due to penalties against Brett Murray (interference) and Colin Miller (delay of game), which delayed their ability to pull Tokarski for an extra attacker.

Granato felt the time spent killing penalties also negated any advantage the Sabres may have had in the energy department against a Kings team that had hosted the Canadiens 24 hours prior. The Kings instead rode the momentum of their victory on Saturday and kept the Sabres playing on their heels.
"I thought it was hard offense today," Granato said. "There wasn't much. They buckled down and tightened up pretty darn good at points. I thought that frustrated us, we didn't handle that well. We didn't fight through that. Maybe that was the reason why we took an extra penalty or two."

The Sabres (5-2-1) have split the first two games of their West Coast road trip. They salvaged an overtime win in Anaheim on Thursday after surrendering a 3-0 lead.
"It's a little bit harder to control momentum in somebody else's building," he said. "You have to pay a lot more attention to details when you're on the road and you're in those situations. Like every other team, we have to take all this information at us and take it to heart and become better because of it."

Another first for Asplund

Asplund scored his first career power-play goal as well as his first overtime winner in Anaheim, marking his first multi-goal outing in the NHL.
He added his first shorthanded goal against the Kings, stealing the puck in the defensive zone and then cutting in front of a defender before beating goalie Jonathan Quick from the slot.

Asplund has four goals in eight games this season.

Bryson sets up Olofsson

It took a full-ice effort from Jacob Bryson to set up Olofsson's goal, which put the Sabres ahead 2-0 in the second period. Bryson blocked a shot in the defensive zone, poked the puck north in neutral ice and then screened defenseman Kale Clague to give Olofsson an open lane to the net.
"I was trying to make a little room for Vic," Bryson said. "He had a nice shot and a nice play on that goal."

The goal was Olofsson's team-leading fifth of the season.

Cozens drops the glove

Dylan Cozens fought Kings forward Brendan Lemieux during the second period, marking the first fight by a Sabres player this season. Lemieux appeared to initiate the skirmish after Cozens checked him along the boards.
The fight was Cozens' third in 49 NHL games.
"Didn't look like he had much of a choice," said Granato, who added that his vantage point was from the far-side bench. "He was in a position where he had to defend himself pretty quick, so I don't think he initiated that by the looks of it. But I'll have to look again."

Up next

The trip continues in San Jose on Tuesday. The game will air exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu with puck drop set for 10:30 p.m. Find info on the streaming service here.