The Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings faced off at Staples Center for a matinee game on Saturday. Jeff Skinner led the way with his first hat trick in a Sabres uniform and the fifth of his career in a 5-1 victory over the Kings.
The win snapped a two-game skid for Buffalo to get them back to .500 on the year with a 4-4 record. For the Kings, it was their fourth consecutive loss.
Buffalo reigned supreme in this one as they controlled all aspects of the game from start to finish.
The win gets Buffalo back to a .500 record with eight points on the season. This was also the first win for the Sabres in Los Angeles since 2003.
Jason Pominville added three points of his own with a goal and two assists.
On the defensive side, Buffalo held the Kings to 20 shots. The 2nd period only saw three shots on goal by the Kings as Buffalo had one of their best periods of the season so far.
Netminder Linus Ullmark impressed again as he stopped 19 of 20 shots. The only goal came off a Kings power play scored by Drew Doughty. Ullmark moves to 2-0 on the season with only the one goal allowed.
The Sabres will end their five-game road trip on Sunday as they take the trip down I-5 to the Honda Center in Anaheim.