Kings at Sabres: Second Verse, Worse Than The First

Thank goodness none of us have to sit through any more Sabres games this season. That’s the best thing about the Kings playing the Sabres for the second time in five days.

Last night, the Kings remembered that they made a mistake by winning a game against Buffalo the first time around, so they had to make up for it with this road game.

 
Well, this seemed promising!

No, really, it kind of did seem promising. It at least seemed laughable. The Kings are a much better team now than they used to be. They exploded at the game’s start with 5 shots on goal within the first two and half minutes to prove it, including a Justin Williams goal that deflected off a Sabres defender.

The Sabres didn’t get a shot on goal until more than five minutes into the period. They basically watched the Kings cycle the puck so much that I thought the Kings were on the power play a couple times. Nope, no power plays. The Sabres suck just that much. They suck so much that, even on their best scoring chance, Jonathan Quick didn’t have to make a save because Slava Voynov was right there with his collarbone.

We are all Kings. Kings are all goaltenders.

Despite being outshot 15-4, the Sabres escaped the period with only one goal against. Kings don’t win in the Sabres’ building, you say? Hahaha!

Hell, the Kings took a stupid penalty (dammit, Muzzin!) in the first period, and it still didn’t matter. They were so hungry that Jordan Nolan nearly ran over Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret. No one was safe. No worries at all.

But then…

 
The possession numbers were crazy, and the official shots on goal were 30 to 7 by the end of the second. The Sabres still managed to tie it up when Muzzin couldn’t break up Cody Hodgson’s scoring chance right in the slot. Coach Darryl Sutter will probably have something new and brutal to say about him.

But it was all okay. The Kings have struggled in second periods this season. Even though that period wasn’t a complete implosion, it was still obviously going to be the least productive. Nowhere to go but up.

 
The PK remained a wishy-washy disappointment pile. Buffalo had managed a whopping five shots on goal up to this point, and then Hodgson tied it on the power play.

Meanwhile, the Kings continued to out-shoot the Sabres, but Ryan Miller continued to make hateful save after save. Kings weren’t getting enough traffic in front of the net when playing 5v5. The one goal they did manage at the beginning of the game came off a deflection while Dustin Brown was blocking Miller’s line of sight, but who needed traffic? Not the Kings, who were now fully committed to giving the Sabres a second shot at the Bad Team Booster Club.

 
This depresses me.

 
I’m no longer laughing about that losing streak.

When the period ticked past the halfway mark, it seemed like the Kings were running out of any quality steam fast. They generated shots on a power play opportunity but struggled at even strength. Buffalo’s admission to the booster club was nearly complete.

Not if Dwight King has anything to say about it!

King picked up his fifth goal of the season. Tyler Toffoli and Mike Richards got the assists. Toffoli’s earned points in all four games he’s played since returning to the lineup like a boss and, with 17 points, Richards has tied Anze Kopitar for most points among all Kings players.

The Kings had a beautiful opportunity to get the go-ahead a few minutes later but life sucks, then you die. Matt Moulson almost embarrassed his brother-in-law Quick during the last minute of play, but sometimes the clouds open up and a ray of hope shines through. Moulson missed a wide-open net! Joy.

Buffalo made it to overtime by the grace of Ryan Miller, and the Kings got a power play. Surely the more deserving team, undefeated in OT thus far, could pull it out.

 
I’m sorry? I didn’t catch that.

 
Wait, one more time?

 
Oh, okay, cool. Good to know. Excuse me, I need to handle something real fast.

Quick left the ice with 1:20 left in OT. I died. I finished watching the game as a sad ghost. Ben Scrivens tagged in and was faced with the unfortunate task of representing in the shootout. As if that wasn’t pressure enough, Sutter sent Richards and Trevor Lewis in as his first two shooters, guaranteeing exactly zero goals.

Using the worst Kings on breakaways right now for the shootout? CAN’T LOSE.

Kings lost 3-2. After dominating the Sabres for the majority of the game, Kings left Buffalo with a loser point.

WHO CARES? HOW’S JON QUICK?

LA Times reporter Helene Elliott later wrote that the plan was for Quick to fly back to Los Angeles for further evaluation. This morning, it was confirmed that Martin Jones will join the Kings to back up Ben Scrivens against the Islanders, so obviously the news is positive, and no one should worry at all.

This one is reserved for me. Get your own.

In theory, Quick’s .905 save percentage shouldn’t be missed terribly in the (hopefully) short term, but in general, it’s rough to see the team’s starter go down when Scrivens has still seen such limited minutes as the Kings backup so far. Kings will definitely know what he’s got after this road trip.

On the brightest side, Jordan Nolan’s dad got a new job. The Sabres organization booted GM Darcy Regier and head coach Ron Rolston. Ted Nolan got the coaching gig. At least someone Kings-affiliated woke up a winner today.