National Hockey League
Los Angeles 3, Buffalo 2
When: 4:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 31, 2021
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Referees: Trevor Hanson, Jon McIsaac
Linesmen: Ryan Gibbons, Andrew Smith
Attendance: 12101

The Los Angeles Kings scored three unanswered goals to notch a 3-2 win against the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

Alex Iafallo scored the winning tally with 6:19 left in the contest for Los Angeles.

Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist, and Tobias Bjornfot and Adrian Kempe each had two assists for the Kings, who won their second straight game. Jonathan Quick made 22 saves.

Rasmus Asplund and Victor Olofsson scored, and Dustin Tokarski made 31 saves for the Sabres, who lost for the first time in three games.

Asplund scored his first career shorthanded goal to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 3:07 of the second period. Asplund intercepted Arthur Kaliyev's pass attempt and drove up the ice down the left wing before cutting into the slot and beating Quick under his arm stick side. The goal was the winger's third in the past two games.

Olofsson made it 2-0 at 7:39 into the period. Defenseman Jacob Bryson blocked a shot in the Sabres' end and pushed the puck up through the neutral zone to create a 2-on-1 with Olofsson before feeding him in the slot for the winger's team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Carl Grundstrom cut it to 2-1 at 8:39 for the Kings. Kopitar settled the puck in the neutral zone and sent it to Grundstrom, who cut to the net from the right wing and poked home the rebound of his own shot on the left of the net.

The Kings had a chance to tie it a few minutes later with a shorthanded tally of their own on a 2-on-1 but a sprawling Tokarski got his shoulder on it to deny Kempe.

Kopitar beat a screened Tokarski from the top of the left circle on the power play to tie the game 2-2 at 4:50 of the third period.

Iafallo put Los Angeles ahead 3-2 from in front off a seam pass from Bjornfot.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Los Angeles
Rasmus Asplund 1 Points Anze Kopitar 2
Rasmus Asplund 1 Goals Anze Kopitar 1
Jacob Bryson 1 Assists Tobias Bjornfot 2
N/A Power Play Goals Anze Kopitar 1
Rasmus Asplund 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Dustin Tokarski .912 Save Percentage Jonathan Quick .917
Dustin Tokarski 31 Saves Jonathan Quick 22
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 24 2 0-2 5-6 17 21
Los Angeles 34 3 1-6 2-2 9 28
Upcoming Games
  • Los Angeles will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Kings have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .286 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against San Jose. The Sabres have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .500 after a loss.