Jason Zucker scores game’s lone goal as Buffalo blanks the Kings
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 24 shots, Jason Zucker scored the game’s only goal, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Kings 1-0 on Wednesday night.
Luukkonen had six saves in the first period, six in the second and 12 in the third to get his first shutout of the season in his return after being sidelined for two games because of a lower-body injury. The Sabres have won five of seven.
David Rittich made 18 saves for the Kings, who have lost three of four.
With the game scoreless after two periods, Zucker scored 38 seconds into the third on the power play by redirecting Rasmus Dahlin’s shot past Rittich.
Dahlin has points on the man advantage in four straight games, and he extended his point streak overall to seven straight with four goals and six assists in that span.
Alex Laferriere took a somewhat unusual path to the NHL, choosing to play in the Ivy League at Harvard for onetime Kings and Ducks forward Ted Donato.
Takeaways
Sabres: Tage Thompson, who leads Buffalo in goals, missed his third straight game because of a lower-body injury. He had practiced the last two days.
Kings: Having spent the first two months of the season grinding out results in spite of largely inconsistent performances, the Kings couldn’t pull it off again and dropped to 5-2-1 on home ice.
Key moment
Zucker was unbothered at the top of the crease, and that positioning turned into his fourth goal of the season with the tip of Dahlin’s effort.
Key stat
Buffalo came into the night two for 19 (10.5%) on the power play away from home, which ranked 30th in the NHL. But a one-for-three showing was enough to take down the Kings.
Up Next
Sabres visit the Ducks on Friday night, and Kings host Seattle on Saturday.
