Generally, the Kings rely on systematic dominance to win games. Early on, it became apparent that not everything in the system had booted up properly.
The somewhat-less-than-before-but-still-rather-hapless Buffalo Sabres controlled play from the get-go. Luckily, the very first Kings shot of the game came off the stick of Marian Gaborik 4:47 into play. Gaborik turned a great set up from Anze Kopitar on a 2-on-1 into a 1-0 lead for the Kings. That goal didn't shift the flow of action, though. Most of the game continued to be played in front of backup goalie Jhonas Enroth.
On one of the few Kings forays into the offensive zone, Jordan Weal got leveled by Sabres defenseman Mike Weber; Jordan Nolan responded inappropriately (or appropriately, depending on how you feel about things like this, I guess) to put the Kings on the penalty kill.