Takeaways: LA Kings 0, Sabres 6 – They gave up

The LA Kings allowed six goals (!) in the third period to fall to the Buffalo Sabres 6-0 continuing a frustrating road trip.

Goal Breakdown

1st period:

No goals

2nd period:

No goals

3rd period:

BUF: PPG Tage Thompson (22), ASST: Dylan Cozens (18)

BUF: Victor Olofsson (13), ASST: Rasmus Asplund (5), Tyson Jost (5)

BUF: JJ Peterka (7), ASST: Jack Quinn (11), Dylan Cozens (19)

BUF: PPG Alex Tuch (14), ASST: Tage Thompson (21), Dylan Cozens (20)

BUF: PPG Tage Thompson (23), ASST: Rasmus Dahlin (24), Alex Tuch (16)

BUF: Peyton Krebs (3), ASST: Victor Olofsson (4), Rasmus Asplund (6)

The Kings gave up

For a team that has struggled with an identity crisis since the puck dropped to start the season, any chance to show some fight or want to win is a positive. In last night’s game, after the LA Kings allowed the second goal in the third period to the Buffalo Sabres the team gave up.

The stifling defense shown by the Kings through the first 40 minutes doesn’t matter if you can’t keep it up in the last 20. This looks like a hockey team that has no fight. No grit. No gall. They look lost. And the answers are still missing unless general manager Rob Blake decides to get to work.

Lineup choices still confound

With the news of Viktor Arvidsson flying back to LA to be with his wife as the couple gets ready to welcome their second child, a spot on the Danault line was up for grabs. This would’ve been an excellent opportunity to try one of the many struggling offensive threats like Adrian Kempe or Gabe Vilardi, on LA to get their game going.

Instead, head coach Todd McLellan decided to give Jarret Anderson-Dolan a look with Danault and Moore on the second line. There’s no excuse there.

The Adrian Kempe center position experiment is not working. That line continues to struggle. Kempe is a winger. And what better way to get your team-leading scorer from last season back on the right path than to place him alongside one of the best two-way centers in the league? But no. They decided to make another questionable decision and to no one’s surprise, it didn’t work.

YouTube recap

UP NEXT: The Kings finish the six-game road trip tomorrow night in Boston at 4:00 pm PT.

Featured image: (Joe Hrycych/NHLI via Getty Images)