The Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker, left, scores on a power play past Kings goalie David Rittich during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Kings’ Jordan Spence, right, battles for the puck against the Buffalo Sabres’ Zach Benson during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Kings’ Adrian Kempe (9) takes a shot against Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Kings’ Anze Kopitar, front left, takes a shot against Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the Kings’ Adrian Kempe, right, lurks for a possible rebound during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker, left, leaps out of the way on a shot on goal against Kings goalie David Rittich during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Buffalo Sabres’ Henri Jokiharju (10) upends the Kings’ Samuel Helenius during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kings head coach Jim Hiller, top, talks to his players from the bench during the first period of their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Kings’ Trevor Moore, left, controls the puck against the Buffalo Sabres’ JJ Peterka during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Kings’ Phillip Danault, center, battles for the puck against the Buffalo Sabres’ Ryan McLeod, left, and Alex Tuch during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kings goalie David Rittich, center, attempts to block a shot by the Buffalo Sabres’ Alex Tuch, right, as teammate Phillip Danault looks on during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, left, blocks a shot by the Kings’ Quinton Byfield, center, during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings lost, 1-0. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, left, blocks a shot by the Kings’ Quinton Byfield (55) during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kings goalie David Rittich, right, blocks a shot by the Buffalo Sabres’ Jack Quinn during the first period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Kings’ Jordan Spence, left, slaps the puck over the Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Kings’ Warren Foegele, bottom, falls to the ice as he fights for the puck against the Buffalo Sabres’ Henri Jokiharju (10) during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, right, blocks a shot by Kings captain Anze Kopitar during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kings captain Anze Kopitar, top right, misses on a shot on goal against Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, right, as the Kings’ Adrian Kempe (9) waits for a possible deflection during the second period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, left, blocks a shot by the Kings’ Anze Kopitar during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker, left, scores on a power play past Kings goalie David Rittich during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker, top left, celebrates after scoring on a power play past Kings goalie David Rittich (31) during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the third period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kings goaltender David Rittich shows his frustration after giving up a goal to the Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker (not pictured) during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the third period of their game against the Kings on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) The Kings’ Adrian Kempe, left, dives for the puck as Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, right, falls backward in front of his net during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kings fans hold signs as forward Trevor Lewis, right, skates before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Kings goaltender David Rittich takes the ice before their game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 26The Buffalo Sabres’ Jason Zucker, left, scores on a power play past Kings goalie David Rittich during the third period on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/SCNG) Expand LOS ANGELES — The Kings’ defanged power play sapped any offensive momentum they mustered as they were shut out for the first time this season, 1-0, by the Buffalo Sabres and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings, who had three days off before the game, have now dropped three of their past four decisions, all in regulation. Meanwhile, the Sabres have won five of their past seven contests, despite the continued absence of their leading scorer Tage Thompson (undisclosed). He was expected to join Luukkonen, who was injured in the same game against Montreal, on the ice Wednesday evening, but was ruled out earlier in the day. Winger Jordan Greenway (undisclosed) also remained unavailable. The Kings had five power plays in the game and failed to convert on any of them. Their new, five-forward unit was largely ineffective – it has yet to score a goal in two games – and their second unit stayed cold, having yet to convert in this campaign. “That’s the difference in the game, clearly. They scored one, and we didn’t get any despite all our opportunities,” said Kings coach Jim Hiller, who previously oversaw the power play as an assistant. “It’s a difference-maker, both positively and negatively, and, right now, we’re not getting it done. That’s the bottom line.” David Rittich made 18 saves in his second straight start in place of the injured Darcy Kuemper (Drew Doughty, Caleb Jones and Arthur Kaliyev were all still out as well). Jason Zucker scored the game’s lone goal. Luukkonen repelled all 23 shots he faced. The Kings pressed late in the third period, pulling Rittich early and keeping the puck in the zone for an extended period while playing with an extra attacker. Zucker said at that point Buffalo was “sucking wind,” crediting Dylan Cozens’ shot-blocking and Luukkonen’s timely saves. Adrian Kempe missed a gaping aperture in the net, Quinton Byfield’s second back-post bid of the night went awry as his stick broke and the Kings were only less menacing afterward. “I thought we were moving it well [on the power play], we had our looks and we had our chances to score,” Kempe said. “Same with the six-on-five at the end, we were moving it well. I missed a wide-open net and it could have been 1-1, so, obviously, it’s frustrating.” A mere 38 seconds into the final frame, Buffalo finally put a goal on the board, converting on its third power play of the night. Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson’s clearing attempt was disrupted by the stick of Alex Tuch, making the puck easy prey for Rasmus Dahlin. His shot from the point was tipped home by Zucker for his 200th career goal. “We wanted to kind of use their [penalty killers’] aggression against them. [Dahlin] had a great shot, and I was just able to get a piece of it,” Zucker said. “It’s a stingy game every time you play them,” Zucker added. “It’s never going to be a pretty one against a team like that.” Through two periods, each team had a modest 12 shots. “It was a hard game, from start to finish, for both teams,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. The Kings’ dearth of scoring wasn’t for lack of opportunities, as the Kings had four power plays through 40 minutes. Both their units made noise on the Kings’ third man-advantage chance, with Byfield and Anże Kopitar each finding the puck on the doorstep and Warren Foegele creating havoc from in tight. Related Articles Los Angeles Kings | Kings should be plenty rested for Sabres Los Angeles Kings | Kings rout Red Wings to open 3-game homestand Los Angeles Kings | Kings’ injuries mount as schedule turns in their favor Los Angeles Kings | Darcy Kuemper injured in Kings’ loss to Avalanche Los Angeles Kings | Kings need to show more against Avalanche in Colorado “We’ve been moving it really well and entries have been really good, but, at the end of the day, you’ve got to score goals, especially on the power play,” Kempe said. “When we get five chances, we’ve got to at least put one in.” The Kings withstood a mid-period barrage from Zucker, Tuch and the Sabres during the opening 20 minutes, which were otherwise unpunctuated as the two clubs headed to the first intermission scoreless. “I thought they were a little bit better than us in the first, and I thought we were a little bit better than them in the second and third, despite not scoring,” Hiller said. The Kings will close their three-game homestand against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday afternoon, now having split the first two dates of their residency. “In hockey, sometimes, it just doesn’t go your way,” Hiller said. “Tonight was one of those nights.”