Craig Anderson made 40 saves, and the Buffalo Sabres exploded for six third-period goals in a 6-0 shutout of the visiting Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
The game was scoreless until Tage Thompson’s power-play marker at 1:21 of the third period. That tally opened the floodgates for the 14th six-goal period in Sabres history, and the second such outburst within the last week. Buffalo also had six goals in the first period of its 9-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 7.
Thompson had two goals and an assist, and Dylan Cozens recorded three assists. In other multi-point performances, Victor Olofsson and Alex Tuch each collected a goal and an assist and Rasmus Asplund had two assists.
Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka scored Buffalo’s other two goals.
Buffalo ended a two-game (0-1-1) winless streak with its first shutout of the season, and Anderson’s first shutout in three seasons. Anderson’s last shutout was on March 26, 2019, when the veteran goalie was a member of the Ottawa Senators.
The Kings are 1-2-1 in their last four games, with their only two shutout losses of the season coming during this stretch.
Los Angeles outshot the Sabres by a 40-31 margin, including a lopsided 16-3 advantage in the first period. However, Anderson held steady against the pressure, with nine of his 40 saves coming during the Kings’ three unsuccessful power-play attempts.
The Sabres were 3-for-6 on the power play, continuing the team’s season-long success with the extra attacker. Buffalo entered the game fourth in the NHL in power-play percentage.
Thompson is among the NHL’s leaders in goals (23) and points (44). Tuesday marked the sixth time this season that Thompson has recorded at least three points in a game.
Pheonix Copley stopped 25 of 31 shots. The Los Angeles netminder was looking solid for much of the game, until the short-handed play and the Sabres’ pressure finally caught up to the Kings.
–Field Level Media
