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Offensive explosion helps Kings crown Sabres

Dec 7, 2007 - 7:22 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Kings did everything they could to make Jonathan Quick's NHL debut go as smoothly as possible.

Dustin Brown and defenseman Tom Preissing each scored twice and added an assist and Michael Cammalleri netted one goal and set up two others as the Kings netted the game's first seven goals in cruising to an 8-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

Blue-liner Jaroslav Modry, Michal Handzus and Derek Armstrong also scored and Anze Kopitar collected four assists for Los Angeles, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

"It was really nice to see how we responded after that first goal because lately, we've had a couple of really good first periods and then we let down," Kopitar said. "We knew we couldn't let down tonight, especially in the second period. We came out flying again and scored a couple more goals."

Quick, a 2005 third-round pick who hails from Milford, Connecticut, only needed to make 15 saves in his first career game.

"It's pretty easy when your team scores eight goals," Quick said. "It makes it easier to settle down after the first period when it's 4-0. I was just trying to have fun and enjoy it. It was a good game to start off my career."

The 21-year-old was playing in place of Jason LaBarbera, who is nursing sore ribs after being poked by the stick of Ryan Smyth in Los Angeles' 5-2 loss to Colorado on Saturday.

The Kings exploded for four goals in the first period and never looked back.

Cammalleri opened the scoring just 3:55 into the contest with his team-leading 14th goal of the season. Brown scored the first of his two goals just four minutes later, and Preissing and Modry tallied 67 seconds apart late in the session to give Los Angeles a 4-0 cushion.

Jocelyn Thibault, who made 10 saves, was replaced by Ryan Miller to start the second period.

"I didn't do what I had to do in the first period to keep the score as low as possible," Thibault said. "It was not a fun game to be in. I made a mistake on the first goal, and that happens. I just wanted to get back and do my job. The game's not over, I just wanted to battle back and play hard, and I didn't do good enough."

Miller did not fare much better, however, surrendering three tallies in just over 11 minutes upon entering. He finished with 15 saves.

Brown, who blocked a shot in his own zone, chased down the puck and took a shot from the right faceoff circle. Miller could not handle the rebound, and Handzus gathered it and fired into the net at 1:56 of the middle period for a shorthanded goal.

Armstrong and Brown added power-play tallies just over five minutes apart later in the session to increase the Kings' lead to 7-0 with 8:53 remaining.

"I don't think it can get worse," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "Maybe it's better to have one of those than just having another close one where you lose by one or two. There wasn't anything that was good in the game. Starting with our special teams, it wasn't good, our goaltending wasn't good. There wasn't anything good."

Drew Stafford finally got the Sabres on the board 2 1/2 minutes later and Thomas Vanek scored 80 seconds into the third period for Buffalo.

"If you don't react at any point in time to something like this, it can be detrimental to your season," Miller said. "We've had stretches where we've had to react, and we've done a good job. We've organized some things and gotten better.

"It's the kind of league it is. You don't play organized, you don't play together for stretches of time, you're going to get beat."

Preissing capped the scoring with Los Angeles' fourth power-play goal with 9:40 remaining in the contest.