GOAL SCORING:

1ST PRD:  LOS - (PP) ZIGMUND PALFFY 1 (BRYAN SMOLINSKI, LUC ROBITAILLE) 3:07
                 LOS - (PP) ROB BLAKE 2 (ZIGMUND PALFFY, LUC ROBITAILLE) 6:00
2ND PRD: BUF - VACLAV VARADA 1 (JEAN-PIERRE DUMONT) 5:36
                 BUF - (PP) JEAN-PIERRE DUMONT 2 (STU BARNES, DOUG GILMOUR) 11:19
                 BUF - (PP) STU BARNES 1 (DOUG GILMOUR, MIROSLAV SATAN) 18:42
3RD PRD: BUF - (PP) DAVE ANDREYCHUK 1 (JASON WOOLLEY, MAXIM AFINOGENOV) 14:30
                 LOS - GLEN MURRAY 1 (BRYAN SMOLINSKI) 17:10
                 BUF - (PE) VACLAV VARADA 2 (STU BARNES) 19:58

POWER-PLAY CONVERSIONS: LOS - 2 OF 6, BUF - 4 OF 8.

SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
                                ---   ---     ---     -----
                    LOS      8     5       9      22
                    BUF       4   14       6      24

GOALIES: LOS - JAMIE STORR
                  BUF - MIKA NORONEN

OFFICIALS: REF - FRASER, MAGUIRE
                     LIN - DRISCOLL, G DEVORSKI

ATT: 14,325 

Box Score

FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Los Angeles, Palffy 1 (power play) (Smolinski, Robitaille), 3:07. 2, Los Angeles, R Blake 2 (power play) (Palffy, Robitaille), 6:00. Penalties: Mckee, Buf (tripping), 2:47; Woolley, Buf (slashing), 4:53; Corkum, L.A. (holding), 17:38.

SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 3, Buffalo, Varada 1 (Dumont), 5:36. 4, Buffalo, Dumont 2 (power play) (S Barnes, Gilmour), 11:19. 5, Buffalo, S Barnes 1 (power play) (Gilmour, Satan), 18:42. Penalties: Laperriere, L.A. (Ob holding the stick), 0:06; Karalahti, L.A. (interference), 6:08; S Barnes, Buf (hooking), 6:30; Johnson, L.A. (tripping), 9:28; Gilmour, Buf (slashing), 15:33; G Murray, L.A. (high sticking), 16:44; Storr, L.A. served by Emerson (slashing), 17:55.

THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 6, Buffalo, Andreychuk 1 (power play) (Woolley, Afinogenov), 14:30. 7, Los Angeles, G Murray 1 (Smolinski), 17:10. 8, Buffalo, Varada 2 (power play empty net) (S Barnes), 19:58. Penalties: Buchberger, L.A. (fighting major), 0:12; Ray, Buf (fighting major), 0:12; Rasmussen, Buf (high sticking), 4:26; Andreychuk, Buf (tripping), 11:38; Belanger, L.A. (hooking), 13:40; G Murray, L.A. (cross checking), 19:28.

Shots on goal:
---------------------------------
Los Angeles  8 5  9--22
Buffalo         4 14 6--24
---------------------------------

Power-play Conversions: Los - 2 of 6, Buf - 4 of 8. Goalies: Los Angeles, Storr (23 shots, 19 saves; record: 1-1-0). Buffalo, Noronen (22, 19; record: 2-0-0). A:14,325. Referees: Fraser, Maguire. Linesmen: Driscoll, G Devorski. 

Game Story

Buffalo overcame an early two-goal deficit and scored four times on the power play en route to its second straight win. The Sabres opened last season with a seven-game winless streak.

"There will be nights where the power play won't be going so well, but as long as we keep getting the chances moving the puck, we'll be happy," Sabres center Doug Gilmour said.

With 5 1/2 minutes gone in the second period, Varada tied up Kings defenseman Mathieu Schneider behind the net, forcing a turnover. J.P. Dumont intercepted the pass at the left faceoff circle and fed Varada, who slid the puck under goaltender Jamie Storr that cut the deficit to 2-1.

Dumont tied it just under six minutes later by batting in Stu Barnes' centering pass. Barnes gave Buffalo its first lead when his centering attempt from the left side glanced off a skate and into the net.

"I think that's a mentality question," Kings coach Andy Murray said of the second period. "We started doing things that weren't part of the game plan. That happens in sports with all teams. You start thinking that it will start coming easier than it should, then you're in trouble."

Buffalo peppered Storr with 14 shots in the second period after mustering only four over the first 20 minutes.

"If you look at the first period, I think we were a little bit stunned," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "It wasn't a verbal outrage or anything, but it was getting back to competing. We talked about desire and competing."

Dave Andreychuk scored a power-play goal with 5 1/2 minutes remaining, but Los Angeles answered quickly on Glen Murray's tally. Varada iced the win by hitting an empty net with two seconds remaining.

"We have a better offensive team and a better defensive team than them," Ruff said. "We played harder at both ends."

Buffalo owned the league's worst power-play unit last season, converting just 10.5 percent of its chances. It also was the worst mark in Sabres' history.

"The power play is a big part of the game," Andreychuk said. "We spent a lot of time working on it. We're going to need some big goals during the season, and on the power play is where to do it."

Filling in for the injured Dominik Hasek and making his first NHL start, Buffalo rookie Mika Noranen stopped 21 shots for his second win. He helped protect a 3-2 lead in the third period by stopping defenseman Rob Blake's blast from the point during a Los Angeles power play before sticking away Zigmund Palffy's partial breakaway minutes later.

"They were power-play goals," Noronen said of the two he allowed early in the first period. "I just shook them off and I just didn't let it bother me."

Noronen, who led Rochester to the AHL's Calder Cup finals last season, made 15 saves in relief of Hasek in Thursday's 4-2 triumph over Chicago. He got the job as Hasek's backup with Martin Biron holding out for a new contract.

Palffy and Blake also scored for Los Angeles, which failed to build on Friday's 4-1 victory at Washington.

"It's way too early in the season to get tired in back-to-back games," Blake said. "We just had too many breakdowns."

With Stephane Fiset injured, Storr has played both games for the Kings. He stopped 19 shots.