The Sabres trailed 3-1 entering the second intermission. They were outshot 14-9 in the second period and in danger of dropping a sixth-straight game to team that had lost five of its last seven contests, including one in Detroit 24 hours earlier.
But they also saw an opportunity against an opponent that was down two defensemen after injuries to Drew Doughty and Dion Phaneuf. They committed to playing the same style that defined so many comebacks earlier this season, one that had disappeared in a 6-2 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday.
They worked their way up the ice as a five-man unit and focused on forcing the Kings to expend their energy in the defensive zone. When they got shooting opportunities, they had bodies clogging the net-front, making life difficult for rookie goaltender Cal Petersen.
"I think when the guys dug in and found a way to win it's because of their work, especially in the third period," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "We were moving our feet. our transition game was really solid, clean and crisp."
"The more times you make them go back and try and break a puck out, I think that's the biggest thing," Eichel added. "They're obviously getting tired. I think that's what we did. The more times you cycle on them, you're cutting back, you're extending shifts in their end, you're making them play defense.
"That's what wears them down. I don't think we did a great job of that in the first two periods, but we were able to do it in the third there. I think that's what starts our game."
With that work ethic came the confidence that was so apparent during their 10-game winning streak in November. The Sabres had embraced a shot mentality through six power plays to begin the third period, to no avail. They finally broke through seven seconds into their seventh try on a high shot from Eichel.