Sabres unable to solve Kings' defense in tight loss

Andreas Athanasiou sent a shot into the Buffalo net off of traffic late during the second period, and suddenly what had already been a stingy performance by the Los Angeles Kings became that much tighter.
The Kings, leading 1-0 after Athanasiou's goal, clogged the neutral zone and made it difficult for the Sabres to attack with speed. They stuck to their approach long enough to pounce on a pair of empty-net goals and seal a 3-0 victory inside KeyBank Center.
"That's as focused a shutdown effort as you'll see," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "It was much like a playoff game. They needed the two points because they're in a playoff race and that's what they were playing for. They weren't playing for anything else but, 'How do we get these two points and slow this team down?' They did a heck of a job in that and that's something we can take from this."

The Sabres entered the afternoon coming off consecutive wins over likely playoff teams, having outpaced the highwire Toronto Maple Leafs and outbattled the physical Minnesota Wild. They scored five goals in each of those victories.
The Kings, who occupy second place in the Pacific Division, presented a different sort of challenge. Their shutdown identity was exemplified by their league-best shots against average (28.7) entering Sunday.
"I don't know how many chances we gave up in the game, but it wasn't a lot," Sabres alternate captain Kyle Okposo said. "We didn't get a lot in return. It was just kind of a grind-it-out game and that's the game you have to learn how to play sometimes."
Learning how to impose their game plan - predicated on speed and aggressiveness - regardless of the opponent's identity is part of the Sabres' growing process.
"You have to find your strengths and you have to play to them because if you try to play somebody else's game, more often than not you're going to lose," Okposo said.
The Sabres did manage to create chances despite their low shot total. Tage Thompson had a point-blank attempt go wide during the dying second of the first period, one of six individual scoring chances he created according to the analytics website Natural Stat Trick.
Alex Tuch took a run at the game-tying goal during the third period, using his speed to drive past a defender for a shorthanded attempt. He bullied his way to his own rebound after an initial shot was turned away by goaltender Cal Petersen, then collided with the post after a second attempt.
Tuch left the game after the collision and did not return. He was able to skate off the ice on his own.
"It's really in moments like that you're best players can rise because they're special, and Alex Tuch in the short-handed situation when he got injured, that was a moment where you see pure talent taking over," Granato said.
"… We're going to be able to handle those moments better and be able to impose more will on them. Tonight, we were challenged in that."

Tuch to undergo imaging

Tuch did not sustain a head injury during his collision with the post, Granato said. He will undergo further imaging to rule out other injuries.
"He'll be sore because of the impact, but the testing here was as positive as it could be," Granato said. "Now we'll get some imaging to make sure it's nothing more that could be hidden."

A special moment for Okposo

The Sabres had a special guest read the starting lineup in the dressing room: 5-year-old Odin Okposo. He rattled off the names of Casey Mittelstadt and Dylan Cozens, then got to right wing: "No. 21, Dad."
Okposo was also interviewed pregame by his 8-year-old daughter, Elliana. Watch both moments below.

"That was pretty special," Kyle said. "... I was a pretty proud dad to be able to be in that setting as an 8- and a 5-year-old and be confident enough to speak how they did, and Odi coming into the locker room there was a special moment for me. I'm going to remember that for the rest of my life."
Odin read the starting lineup off a card that contained nothing but the players' numbers.
"He watches highlights every morning," Kyle said. "He loves hockey. Top three people I've ever met who love hockey."

The Okposo children were invited as part of the Sabres' "Kids Takeover" inside KeyBank Center. The game featured kids running the team's social channels and featured a junior reporter, a junior public address announcer, and a junior in-arena host.
Meet them and find more highlights from the day here.

Up next

The homestand continues Monday against the Florida Panthers. Tickets are available here.
Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops at 7.