BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres found their scoring touch at the right time, and the Los Angeles Kings lost their composure once again at the wrong time.

The offensively challenged Sabres exploded for four goals in a span of 6:13 on their way to a 6-3 victory over the Kings on Tuesday night.

Jack Eichel had two goals and an assist for Buffalo (11-11-6).

"Once we kind of got on a role, we stayed with it," said Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly. "Goal after goal, you could feel the life in the building. Everything just kind of changed. We took the game over."

O'Reilly, Brian Gionta, Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart also scored for the Sabres. Robin Lehner made 30 saves.

It was a nightmare start to a critical nine-game road trip for the Kings (14-12-2). Jeff Carter had two goals, and captain Anze Kopitar also scored.

Carter had strong words after the game regarding the state of his team.

"It was just terrible hockey," Carter said. "We come on a (nine)-game road trip, 1-0 after the first, 2-0, get a bad bounce and we just (expletive) shut down. It's been going on for a while. Our second periods have not been good and they've been killing us and it's everybody. It's top to bottom. It's unacceptable.

"We're fragile. We're a fragile team."

The Kings' locker room was closed for several minutes after the game, but Carter declined to say if the team held a team meeting afterward.

Los Angeles head coach Darryl Sutter was frustrated with his team's goaltending. Peter Budaj made 18 saves and was briefly pulled at the end of the second period for Jeff Zatkoff, who quickly surrendered one goal on three shots. Budaj returned to start the third.

"You have to get some saves," Sutter said. "Got a lot of goals scored on us with very few shots against."

Buffalo's offensive burst came with four goals on seven shots in the second period.

O'Reilly got the Sabres on the board midway through the second, jump-starting the comeback at 9:31. O'Reilly looped inside the Kings zone before lifting a high backhand shot for his seventh goal of the year.

Eichel made it 2-2 with his first goal of the evening. The sophomore superstar's shot from long range had little on it but tucked just inside the left post with 6:24 left in the second.

Gionta made it 3-2 only 12 seconds later, deflecting a long shot by defenseman Justin Falk with his left skate.

The Kings pulled Budaj after Gionta's goal, but it made little difference for Los Angeles. Eichel picked up his second goal less than two minutes later. Zatkoff had no chance on the goal, a hard wrist shot that launched into the top corner of the net and gave Buffalo a 4-2 lead with 4:16 left in the second.

"We just started playing below their goal line and making it hard on their D and I think that's why we had success," Eichel said.

Budaj returned to open the third, and the Kings got back into it 4:03 into the third on Carter's second. He scored on a quick wrist shot after a faceoff win to cut Buffalo's lead to 4-3.

Kane gave the Sabres much-needed breathing room with 4:18 remaining. The power forward put home a centering pass from Eichel to make it 5-3 on his fourth goal of the year.

Reinhart added an empty-net goal with 25.9 seconds remaining.

Kopitar opened the scoring three minutes into the game, using his strength to get by O'Reilly and put just enough on his shot to make it 1-0.

Carter made it 2-0 at 7:34 of the second period on a breakaway goal, lifting a quick wrist shot into the top of the net for his team-best 13th goal of the year.

The Kings continue their road trip on Thursday in Detroit.

"It's time we take a big look in the mirror here because these next six games are pretty crucial," Carter said. "There's nothing else you can do but go to work."

NOTES: D Zach Bogosian (knee) and C Derek Grant were scratched for the Sabres. Bogosian skated at the team's morning skate for the first time since suffering a knee sprain. Bogosian, who has missed 18 games, told reporters that he does not have a specific timetable for his return and is taking it day by day. ... RW Devin Setoguchi, D Tom Gilbert and C Nic Dowd were scratched for the Kings. ... This was the first of two games between the teams this season. Their second meeting takes place March 16 in Los Angeles.