Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) is congratulated after he scored a goal during the first period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing Kyle Okposo, left, shoots the puck in front of Kings left wing Kevin Fiala during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings goaltender Cam Talbot, right, deflects a shot as defenseman Brandt Clarke, far left, defends against Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing JJ Peterka, left, controls the puck with Kings right wing Carl Grundstrom (91) and center Trevor Lewis (61) defending during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing JJ Peterka, left, and right wing Jack Quinn celebrate after Peterka’s goal during the first period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner, right, passes the puck as Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, left, and goaltender Cam Talbot, center, defend during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings center Anze Kopitar, left, talks with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov during the first period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch, right, takes a shot during the first period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings center Anze Kopitar, left, stops a pass intended for Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch, center, in front of goaltender Cam Talbot during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings built a 3-1 lead before losing for the 12th time in their past 14 games, 5-3. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings goaltender Cam Talbot makes a stop during the first period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn, right, controls the puck with teammate Kyle Okposo, left, during the first period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings goaltender Cam Talbot looks down the ice during the first period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing Tage Thompson, left, controls the puck with Kings left wing Samuel Fagemo trailing during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing Tage Thompson, left, controls the puck next to Kings left wing Samuel Fagemo during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi deflects a shot during the second period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings right wing Carl Grundstrom controls the puck during the second period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings right wing Adrian Kempe, left, takes a shot against Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi deflects the puck with his stick during the second period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov passes the puck during the second period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi, left, stops a shot by Kings left wing Trevor Moore, right, with the Blues’ Rasmus Dahlin (26) defending during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi, right, congratulates right wing Jack Quinn after Quinn scored during the second period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings right wing Adrian Kempe, right, controls the puck as Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson defends during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings right wing Adrian Kempe, left, takes a shot against Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing JJ Peterka, left, gets congratulations from goaltender Devon Levi after Peterka scored a goal during the second period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing JJ Peterka (77) celebrates after scoring a goal during the second period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi catches the puck for a save during the second period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner, left, vies for the puck with Kings defenseman Andreas Englund during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois looks down the ice during the third period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner, right, controls the puck with Kings center Phillip Danault defending during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings defenseman Andreas Englund, left, talks with defenseman Matt Roy during the third period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings right wing Quinton Byfield awaits a face off during the third period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs, right, controls the puck in front of Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings head coach Todd McLellan, top right, watches his team play during the third period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson, left, controls the puck with Kings center Jaret Anderson-Dolan defending during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens (24) takes a shot to score during the third period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens, left, celebrates with right wing Jack Quinn after scoring a goal during the third period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch, right, celebrates with left wing Eric Robinson, center, and center Peyton Krebs, left, during the third period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings goaltender Cam Talbot prepares to put on his helmet following a timeout during the third period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Buffalo Sabres left wing Jeff Skinner, right, controls the puck in front of Kings center Phillip Danault during the third on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty looks over his shoulder during the third period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, left, talks with defenseman Matt Roy during the third period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings captain Anze Kopitar is honored during a milestone celebration before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings captain Anze Kopitar (11) watches with his teammates as he is honored during a milestone celebration before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Family and friends applaud as Kings captain Anze Kopitar is honored during a milestone celebration before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings captain Anze Kopitar, crouching at right, is honored during a milestone celebration before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings captain Anze Kopitar, center, is honored during a milestone celebration before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kings captain Anze Kopitar, center, is honored during a milestone celebration before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings captain Anze Kopitar (11) is honored during a milestone celebration before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Kings captain Anze Kopitar, left, is honored during a milestone celebration before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — A night dedicated to beloved Kings captain Anze Kopitar, whose milestones during his 18th season were honored before a game they needed to win against a mediocre Buffalo Sabres squad, began with cheers but ended in boos.
The Kings endured another setback on their home ice on Wednesday, surrendering four unanswered goals over the last two periods and losing, 5-3, to the Sabres two nights after losing to the lowly San Jose Sharks.
“I think we got guys in this room who are too worried about themselves and worried about their points and worried about stuff like that,” veteran defenseman Drew Doughty said after their 12th loss in the past 14 games. “We got a 3-1 lead tonight and guys start thinking it’s a cookie night. We stop playing the way we know how to play, have an awful second period and then aren’t much better in the third. It’s about the team. It’s not about yourself. And a lot of guys on this team need to realize that.”
The topsy-turvy result dropped the Kings to 2-2-3 in games they led this month, with three more still to play before the NHL All-Star break. The only bit of good news: those games are on the road because at home the Kings remain sub-.500, falling to 8-9-6 after Wednesday’s disappointment.
The first period suggested a happier conclusion.
Kopitar’s goal at 2:55 seemed to set the tone for a team that hadn’t scored more than three goals in any of its 11 previous games in January.
Pointless in five consecutive games and goalless in his past 12, the Kings’ 36-year-old captain ended his longest drought of the season with a tip-in after striding undefended down the left while Sabres defenders watched puck handler Adrian Kempe on the right.
Kempe skipped a diagonal pass toward Kopitar and the Slovenian, playing his 1,337th game after being drafted No. 11 overall in 2005, coolly finished on the doorstep for his 15th goal of the season. The goal meant he reached the 40-point mark for the 18th consecutive season, the 25th player in NHL history to record 18 or more 40-point seasons. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, who have also done it 18 times, are the only other active skaters on the list.
Exacerbating his team’s offensive woes after contributing four goals in December, six in November, and four more in October, when his 18th season with the Kings got underway, Kopitar had not scored since Dec. 27.
In 11 games this month, Kopitar had a paltry 15 shots as he and his teammates, currently fourth in the Pacific Division, attempted to extricate themselves from a frustrating scoring funk.
With Kopitar’s accomplishments front and center prior to the game, Kings head coach Todd McLellan told reporters the day before that he hoped the moment would inspire his slumping group, but “right now we can’t just rely on that. We have to bring our game. We have to concentrate. We have to focus. We have to execute.”
Buffalo forced the Kings to live up to McLellan’s words.
The Sabres briefly tied it at 5:01 with the first of two JJ Peterka goals when the winger made the Kings pay for a turnover in the offensive zone by cleaning up a tight-angled rebound following a shot he helped set up.
Thirteen seconds of game time later, though, the eager Kings reasserted themselves when Drew Doughty and Quinton Byfield helped Kempe score his 16th goal of the season on a wrist shot to the short side of Sabres goaltender Devon Levi.
Struggling forward Pierre-Luc Dubois made it 3-1 Kings at 9:44 with his 10th goal, a wrist shot under the glove facilitated by Alex Laferriere and Brandt Clarke to convert their first power-play opportunity.
Coming off a 4-2 loss to the Ducks on Tuesday in Anaheim, the Sabres, idling in seventh place in the Atlantic Division, redeemed a disastrous second period against the Ducks by stifling the Kings and leveling the score against goalie Cam Talbot heading into the final frame.
Peterka’s breakaway finish at 8:22, a result of Jack Quinn’s blocked pass and diving assist from the Sabres’ end, preceded Quinn’s fifth goal at 10:30 on a snap shot through traffic that clanked off the inside of the post.
Buffalo owned the third period, taking the lead at 5:49 after a series of Kings turnovers in their end led to Alex Tuch’s 13th goal of the season. At 9:54, the Kings failed to control the puck in the neutral zone and Dylan Cozens’ ninth of the campaign, a wrist shot to Talbot’s glove side, once again dinged off the post and into the back of the net.
The Kings were unable to get anything going in the last 11 minutes, and their oft-mentioned frustration, which has permeated their poor stretch of play, manifested once again.
“That’s unacceptable. We’re up 3-1. We’re maybe not playing our best, but the stupidity that went into that loss is unexplainable,” McLellan said. “I haven’t until now been able to come in and say ‘boy, we played really dumb.’ And that’s what we did.”
McLellan, who is in his fifth year with the Kings and has led them to the playoffs the past two years, also said it was fair to ask whether he thinks his job is in jeopardy.
“When you looked at the team that played the first, what would we call it, 25, 30 games if you will, it doesn’t look like the team that’s playing right now. And I’m responsible for it,” he said.
Buffalo (21-23-4, 46 points) put 37 shots on Talbot, while the Kings (22-14-9) fired 40 shots, three by Kopitar, at Levi.
UP NEXT
The Kings hit the road for their final three games before the All-Star break, visiting Colorado on Friday, St. Louis on Sunday and Nashville on Wednesday.
