| BUFFALO Nick Holden Jersey Womens , N.Y. (AP) took advantage of the Buffalo Sabres‘ second-period meltdown to snap a three-game skid and keep pace in the tightly contested Western Conference playoff race.Kopitar and rookie Michael Amadio each had two goals in a 4-2 win, which the Kings broke open by scoring three times on consecutive shots over a span of 5:35 on Saturday afternoon.”I think our second period was huge, not just getting the three goals but just dictating the game,” said Kopitar, who upped his team-leading total to 25 goals. ”I thought (today) was a step in the right direction, but we’ve got to continue going.”Article continues below ...Los Angeles improved to 31-22-5 and vaulted into 10th place in the West, a point ahead of the idle Colorado Avalanche.The win was also the Kings’ first in Buffalo since a 4-1 victory on Feb. 21, 2003. Los Angeles had gone 0-6-2 in its previous eight trips to Buffalo, and was 1-12-2 plus a tie in its previous 16 visits dating to the start of the 1993-94 season.”I don’t think we were worried about the 15-year drought in here, but we had a three-game slide that we certainly wanted to stop,” Kopitar said.Frustration boiled over for the Eastern Conference’s last-place Sabres.The press box shook with the loud sound of a door slamming Paul Stastny Jersey Womens , and Sabres general manager Jason Botterill was spotted leaving the team’s booth shortly after Kopitar scored his first goal to put the Kings up 2-0.Sabres forward Jason Pominville wasn’t surprised upon being informed of what happened.”I would’ve probably done the same thing,” Pominville said of Buffalo’s lackadaisical effort through 40 minutes.”The one thing we control is our effort and the energy we bring,” he said. ”Some nights, we’re just not bringing it. I really don’t get it.”The Sabres didn’t wake up until the third period, when Marco Scandella scored 30 seconds in with a blast from the blue line that sailed over goalie Jonathan Quick’s right shoulder. Then Rasmus Ristolainen scored during a scramble in front with 3:18 left.Quick stopped 33 shots, while Dustin Brown had two assists.Buffalo’s Robin Lehner was yanked after allowing four goals on 30 shots. Chad Johnson finished with six saves in the final period.Kopitar’s first goal summed up Buffalo’s dreadful performance.Sabres forward Benoit Pouliot lost his balance while trying to play the puck just inside Buffalo’s blue line. The puck dribbled to Brown to set up a 2-on-1 break. Brown fed Kopitar, who wound his way across the front of the net and easily deposited a shot into the open right side with 7:58 left in the second period.The Kings scored twice more in a span of 1:29.Kopitar made it 3-0 with 3:54 left. He was set up for a one-timer in the left circle by Alex Iafallo, who beat the Sabres’ defenders to a loose puck behind the Buffalo net.Then, Amadio scored his second when Sabres defenseman Justin Falk got turned around. Amadio stepped around Falk, and snapped a shot inside the right post.The only knock Kings coach John Stevens had was how his team eased up in a third period during which Los Angeles was outshot 18-6.”I thought we kind of got off page a little bit, and they made a big push in the third period that we weren’t ready for Max Pacioretty Jersey Womens ,” Stevens said.NOTES: The Sabres are 2-6-1 in their past nine home games and 8-17-4 overall at home. Buffalo’s fewest home wins in an 82-game season is 13, set in 2013-14. … Iafallo was a fan of the Sabres growing up in Eden, New York, just outside Buffalo. Though Iafallo had a large contingent of friends present for his first game at Buffalo, the Kings rookie’s parents weren’t among them. They were instead in Columbus, Ohio, to be with Iafallo’s sister, Juliana, who was being honored as part of Ohio State women’s hockey team’s senior weekend. … Sabres C Ryan O’Reilly entered the day leading the league with 867 faceoff wins.UP NEXTKings: Continue their seven-game trip at the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night.Sabres: Host the Washington Capitals on Monday afternoon.— RALEIGH, N.C. — If there has been a good thing about the ebbs and flows through the first two games of the season for the Carolina Hurricanes, it’s that they’ve been able to work through the down stretches.“We’re making a lot of mistakes Nic Dowd Jersey Womens , but we’re working hard enough to make up for it,” first-year coach Rod Brind’Amour said.The Hurricanes go for their first home victory when the New York Rangers visit for Sunday’s game at PNC Arena.Article continues below ...“I think we’re dictating the pace of play,” Brind’Amour said. “I think that’s what we want to do.”The Hurricanes (1-0-1) have been strong at times through two games, though the opener became a 2-1 overtime loss to the New York Islanders.The Rangers (0-2-0) are still searching for their first victory after a 3-1 loss Saturday night at Buffalo.For Carolina, the style has been pleasing to Brind’Amour.“If we just keep that mindset and how we want to approach the game, we’ll take it,” Brind’Amour said.The Hurricanes haven’t done much on power plays, but the Rangers gave up two power-play goals in their loss to the Sabres.The Rangers didn’t have much to show for 44 shots on goal in Buffalo, but they’ll have a chance to improve on that when they’re back on the ice less than 24 hours after that outing.“I don’t want our hunger determined by the other team’s hunger,” Rangers coach David Quinn said.With the set of back-to-back games, Quinn said he would split the goaltending duties this weekend. That means Alexandar Georgiev is slated to face the Hurricanes after Henrik Lundqvist got the call for Saturday night in Buffalo.The Rangers are looking for consistent production from forward Jimmy Vessey Authentic Pat Tillman Jersey , who had a strong opening night.“I just felt really confident,” Vessey said. “I think for me taking that confidence going forward is going to be huge.”The Hurricanes are without expected No. 1 goalie Scott Darling for a couple of weeks at the start of the season because of an injury. But the goaltending hasn’t been an issue in the small early sample size.“Our goaltending has been fabulous,” Brind’Amour said.Part of that is the addition of Curtis McElhinney, who joined the team off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs just a few days before the start of the season.It has been a challenging time for the veteran goaltender, who posted the victory Friday night in Columbus.“I’m always grateful for an opportunity to play any time in the league,” he said. “It was nice to come out here and make a good first impression. … It has been a tough week. It has been hard for me. You step on the ice and everything seems to be normal again.”The Hurricanes scored their only goal in the opener in the final two minutes. Then in the next game, they notched a goal less than two minutes into the game.Carolina rookie forward Andrei Svechnikov has been active in the preseason and the first two games. He picked up his first NHL point Friday night with an assist in Columbus, becoming the third youngest player in franchise history with a point.“He’s up there in the NHL and he doesn’t look out of place,” Brind’Amour said. |
