Tsyplakov Shows Offense After Being Dealt by Kings

BUFFALO, N.Y. —  King General Manager Dave Taylor did Vladimir Tsyplakov a big favor by trading him to Buffalo, but Tsyplakov isn’t about to reciprocate.

Tsyplakov, a King for all but 12 games of his 273-game NHL career, assisted on the first goal, scored the second and assisted on the third in the Sabres’ 4-1 victory over his former team Saturday night at Marine Midland Arena.

His second assist had his former coach, Andy Murray, a little agitated.

“Their third goal was clear interference,” said Murray, holding a videotape he planned to show referee Dan Marouelli. “Tsyplakov picked Matty Norstrom with his stick.”

On the play, Michael Peca scored his second goal of the game to give Buffalo a 3-1 lead at 7:32 of the third period.

Miroslav Satan’s empty-net goal finished the scoring.

“[Marouelli] said he didn’t see it,” Murray said. “I think the rest of the people in the building saw it. . . . It was a 2-1 game, and down the stretch, we were getting lots of chances.”

Norstrom agreed that he had been hooked by Tsyplakov.

Tsyplakov, as is usual for him, stayed quiet at the time.

“I did [hold up Norstrom], but just for a little second and then I let him go, so there’s no penalty at all,” he said later, then smiled. “Just good enough to let Michael go by him.”

Buffalo ended the King winning streak at five games, dealt them their first loss after two wins on this seven-game trip and did so by doing something the Sabres aren’t used to doing: scoring. They hadn’t scored more than two goals in any of their last six games and in 12 of their previous 13.

Tsyplakov took care of much of that by himself and in doing so, victimized King goalie Jamie Storr, whose personal five-game winning streak also ended.

Storr didn’t help his cause, playing out of position on Peca’s first goal, and by deflecting the puck into the net after Tsyplakov shot from an impossible angle.

“It hit the post, then hit me in the back and went in,” Storr said. “I wanted to make him make a good shot, and he got a good bounce. Sippy hasn’t had a lot of bounces go his way in his career. It’s sad for us, but it’s good for him.”

Tsyplakov was a good offensive player for the Kings, just not good enough to start on the first or second lines. He played when teammates were injured, was scratched when they weren’t and finally requested a trade.

Taylor acquiesced, getting a draft choice, and upon arriving in Buffalo, Tsyplakov dislodged Dixon Ward on a line with Peca and Vaclav Varada.

“I’m getting more ice time over here, a better chance to play,” Tsyplakov said. “I was scratched often in L.A. When I played, I played pretty good, scored some goals.”

His goal Saturday night was his first for the Sabres, seventh of the season, and it was the game-winner.

The Kings had taken a 1-0 lead on Ziggy Palffy’s 23rd goal only 2:58 into the game but were then stopped in their tracks. The Kings were outshot, 9-0, in the final 10 minutes of the first period, and one of those shots became Peca’s first goal.

“You’re playing a team in the Sabres that was a Stanley Cup finalist and you can’t expect to come in here and have an easy game against them,” Murray said. “I was a little disappointed in the way we played in the last 10 minutes of the first period.

“I don’t know if some of the guys felt that, after our schedule the last couple of nights, that we could pull back a little. If you pull back on a team like that . . . they take it to you.”

That Buffalo did, and the Kings’ streak has ended as streaks always do.

Not that it was due.

“You want to stay on a roll as long as possible,” Storr said, “because it’s hard to get on a roll in the first place.”