Los Angeles, Calif. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres put a degrading loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday in the rearview just one day later, as the blue and gold played comeback against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Down 3-1 after 20-minutes, the Sabres tallied the next four goals of the game en route to a 5-3 victory at Crypto.com Arena in Southern California.
It was a forgettable opening period for Buffalo, as they continued to struggle with three goals allowed in the first 20 minutes.
Los Angeles struck first less than three minutes in, as Kings captain Anze Kopitar went to the net and tapped a puck past Sabres goalie Devon Levi.
The Sabres did have a quick response thanks to JJ Peterka's 15th goal of the season. Just North of two minutes after the Kings' opening goal, Peterka was able to fire a rebound past Kings goalie Cam Talbot from a sharp angle.
However, the tie lasted a mere 23 seconds before Kings forward Adrian Kempe made it 2-1, Los Angeles.
Later in the frame, Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois extended the home team's lead to 3-1 with a power play tally.
The second period was much more memorable than the first, as the blue and gold owned both goals to pull even with the Kings, 3-3.
A familiar face pulled the Sabres to within a goal, as Peterka tallied his second goal of the game with a nifty breakaway marker.
Then a little more than two minutes later, Sabres winger Jack Quinn tied the contest with a wrist shot off the inside of the goal post and in past Talbot.
The avalanche of goals kept rolling right along into the third period of play, as the Sabres kept turning the tides since their shaky first period.
Alex Tuch gave the Sabres their first lead of the night off a feed from Eric Robinson in-behind the net, as Buffalo caught Talbot cheating toward his right in the goal crease.
A little more than three minutes later, Dylan Cozens buried the Kings for good with a wrist shot from distance that beat Talbot off the bar and in.
The Sabres also weathered a late 6-on-4 opportunity, and killed off a penalty with Los Angeles also boasting an extra skater.
A trio of Sabres skaters registered multi-point efforts in the win, and they all happen to play on the same line: Quinn (1+2), Cozens (1+1), and Peterka (2+1).
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 5:01 - JJ Peterka (15) (Dylan Cozens)
LAK: 2:55 - Anze Kopitar (15) (Adrian Kempe, Matt Roy); 5:24 - Adrian Kempe (16) (Drew Doughty, Quinton Byfield); 9:44 - Pierre-Luc Dubois (10) PPG (Alex Laferriere, Brandt Clarke)
Second Period:
BUF: 8:22 - JJ Peterka (16) (Jack Quinn); 10:30 - Jack Quinn (5) (Casey Mittelstadt, Ryan Johnson)
LAK: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 5:49 - Alex Tuch (13) (Eric Robinson, Peyton Krebs); 8:54 - Dylan Cozens (9) (JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn)
LAK: NONE
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Losi & Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Tage Thompson - BUF
2.) Jack Quinn - BUF
3.) Anze Kopitar - LAK
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What's next:
The Sabres wrap up their California road trip on Saturday with a visit to San Jose to take on the Sharks. Puck drop at SAP Center is set for 4 p.m. EST with pregame coverage with Brian Koziol and Paul Hamilton starting at 3 p.m. EST on the flagship home of the Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.