The Buffalo Sabres started their three-game swing through California on the right foot, with a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, playing a prototypical low-event road game and preserving a lead in the third period after Jason Zucker’s power-play goal 38 seconds into the final frame.
“(This win) means a lot to our team. That’s part of growth, you’ve got to get comfortable in a game like that,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. “I thought our compete on the puck was where it needed to be to win a hockey game.”
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves for his first shutout of the season, in a contest where he was not tested for long stretches, but had the Sabres goalie under siege for the last three minutes of regulation with Kings goalie David Rittich pulled for the extra attacker.
“(Luukkonen) was pretty sharp, he made a lot of good saves, but there were periods of time when there was not a lot going on, but then there were a couple flurries,” Ruff said. “The five-on-six at the end where we got caught on the ice, he made a couple great saves.”
The game was the first for Luukkonen since suffering a lower-body injury against Montreal on November 11, and the Sabres starter appeared to have recaptured the level of play that saw him named one of the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week earlier this month.
“The team played extremely well in front of me. They blocked shots and made it easier for me to have a shutout,” Luukkonen said. “It’s a team thing, so I think it was really good effort from (everyone).”
Buffalo played without forwards Tage Thompson and Jordan Greenway and was only able to generate 19 shots on Rittich, but Ruff was pleased with how all four lines gave a solid effort in the victory.
The Sabres will take on the Anaheim Ducks in the first of back-to-back games on Friday night.
Related: Sabres Not Out Of Range After Sluggish Start
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