Sabres embarrassed by Kings
Last Updated: Friday, December 7, 2007 | 3:28 AM ET
The Associated Press
Dustin Brown had two goals and an assist, defenceman Tom Preissing scored twice during power plays and Michal Handzus had a short-handed tally in the Los Angeles Kings' 8-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.
The Kings, who hadn't scored more than three goals in any of their previous 11 games, had their biggest offensive output since an 8-6 victory over Atlanta at Staples Center on Jan. 19, 2006 — the night Luc Robitaille became their career goal leader.
Michael Ryan (37) collides with John Zeiler in Thursday's 8-2 Sabres loss.
(Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)
Derek Armstrong and Jaroslav Modry scored their first goals of the season, Anze Kopitar had a career-high four assists, and Michael Cammalleri had a goal and two assists.
Jonathan Quick, pressed into service because of injuries to Jason LaBarbera and Jean-Sebastien Aubin, made 15 saves in his NHL debut after getting staked to a 7-0 lead by the 11:07 mark of the second period.
LaBarbera missed his third straight game because of a rib injury.
Aubin, who was unable to go because of two sore groin muscles, served as Quick's backup.
Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek scored for the Sabres, who lost for the third time in four games after a five-game winning streak.
It was the first meeting between the teams since Jan. 14, 2006, when Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville had hat tricks for the Sabres in a 10-1 victory in Buffalo.
The Kings, who came in averaging an NHL-low 10.1 penalty minutes, found themselves short-handed just 20 seconds after the opening faceoff when forward John Zeiler was sent off for interference.
They killed off that penalty and then went on the offensive, grabbing a 4-0 lead in the first period.
Jocelyn Thibault, starting for only the fourth time this season and first time since shutting out Montreal with 24 saves on Nov. 24, stopped only 10 of 14 shots before Ryan Miller replaced him at the start of the second period and allowed two goals on the first six shots he faced after losing 4-1 in Anaheim on Wednesday night.
It could have been worse, but Brown was stopped on a breakaway about two minutes into the game after chipping the puck away from Pominville back inside the Los Angeles blue-line.
Cammalleri opened the scoring at the 3:55 mark.
Johnson dumped the puck behind the net and Thibault left his crease to play it, but took a one-handed swipe with his stick and fanned on it.
Kopitar quickly passed in front to Cammalleri, who one-timed his 14th goal past Thibault's stick.
Johnson set up the second goal, circling the net and passing out to the right point to Brown, whose one-timer through a screen zipped between the legs of Handzus in the low slot and past Thibault.
Preissing made it 3-0 at 18:20, beating Thibault to the stick side with a one-timer from 35 feet in the left circle while Stafford was serving a roughing penalty.
Modry got his first of the season just 33 seconds before intermission, as Thibault completely fanned on the defenceman's wrist shot to the glove side from the top of the left circle.
Handzus notched his 13th career short-handed goal at 1:56 of the second while teammate Ladislav Nagy was off for interference.
The Kings then received a two-man advantage after staggered penalties to Adam Mair and Hecht, and Armstrong made it 6-0 with 54 seconds still left on Mair's high-sticking infraction.
