Los Angeles Kings (22-16-13) at Buffalo Sabres (30-17-5)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, New York
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Los Angeles Kings
Record: 22-16-13 | 57 PTS
Division Ranking: T4th in Pacific Division
Last Game: 3-1 Win vs Red Wings
PP: 30th (15.6%) | Sabres Rank: 20th (19.2%)
PK: T21st (77.8%) | Sabres Rank: T5th (83.6%)
What to Watch
1. Home Crowd Buzz
The Sabres return home after a 5-game road trip where they went 4-1-0. They’re currently on a 4-game win streak and hope to add to their impressive 16-6-3 record at home this season. The Kings have been good on the road this year with a 14-6-6 record versus an 8-10-7 record at home. The Kings are also playing well of late as they’ve won their last three. The Sabres can feed off their crowd as the building has come alive as the team has turned it around. If they can get an early lead, the Kings will have the full force of the Sabres fanbase in their ears.
2. Power Kill
The Kings and Sabres have dangerous penalty kills. While the Kings don’t have a great success rate of killing penalties, they are tied with Buffalo and 3 other teams for the NHL lead in shorthanded goals scored this season. The Kings also have one of the worst power plays in the league. Buffalo should look to take advantage of the subpar unit and create some offense the other way. However, their own power play is prone to giving up breakaway opportunities. They need to stay disciplined and control the puck on the man avantage. Otherwise, the Kings will give Buffalo a taste of their own medicine.
3. Goaltender Shuffle
The Sabres musical chairs game at goaltender continues. UPL left Tuesday’s game with an injury, so they are once again left with two healthy goaltenders. Coming off his shutout against the Islanders Saturday, Alex Lyon is expected to start. He has won his last 8 starts dating back to December 11th against Vancouver. In that span, he has a .936 save percentage and is allowing an average of 1.88 goals against per game. Hopefully, he can keep up his hot streak as Buffalo tries to create some separation from the teams chasing them.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Benson – Thompson – Tuch
Zucker – McLeod – Quinn
Doan – Ostlund – Helenius
Kozak – Krebs – Malenstyn
Defense
Samuelsson – Dahlin
Byram – Power
Metsa – Kesselring
Starter: Lyon
Los Angeles Kings
Forwards
Kempe – Laferriere – Perry
Moore – Byfield – Foegele
Fiala – Armia – Kuzmenko
Malott – Helenius – Ward
Defense
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Starter: Kuemper