Game #52
Los Angeles Kings (24-15-10) vs. Buffalo Sabres (22-25-4)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR550 AM
Know Your Opponent
Los Angeles Kings
Record: 24-15-10
Last Game: 4-0 win over Edmonton
Division Ranking: 4th in the Pacific Division
PP: 15th (21.5%)
PK: 1st (87.7%)
What to Watch
1) Power Outage
Sabres defenseman Owen Power got hurt during Monday’s practice at KeyBank Center and is now considered week-to-week. Right now, he’s expected to miss at least the next few games, with the team hoping to have a better idea of his timeline after this initial week. It’s unclear exactly what the injury is, but Power left Monday’s practice early and underwent imaging.
With that, Jacob Bryson will slot back into the lineup for the Sabres on Tuesday night. Bryson last played before the NHL All-Star Break, on January 27. He’s appeared in five NHL games this season. The Sabres are also expected to recall a defenseman from the AHL’s Rochester Americans at some point this week, with potential options including Kale Clague and Nikita Novikov.
Victor Olofsson is also expected to be back in the lineup, coming in for Eric Robinson.
2) As of Late
The Kings are coming into Tuesday’s game off the heels of a 4-0 win, but going back to before the All-Star Break, they’ve actually lost four of their last six games and are 4-4-2 in their last ten games. The Sabres are on a two-game losing skid right now, but have won two of their last five games and are 5-5-0 in their last ten.
Tonight’s game is also the first of a four-game Eastern swing for the Kings. They’ll also play in New Jersey, Boston and Pittsburgh on this trip.
3) The Leaders
Adrian Kempe leads the Kings with 44 points in 49 games this season, while Kevin Fiala leads with 30 assists. Trevor Moore’s 21 goals are most on the team. Others to watch include Anze Kopitar (42 points), Quinton Byfield (38 points) and Phillip Danault (30 points).
In net, Cam Talbot is 14-13-5 with a 2.59 GAA and .911 save percentage. David Rittich is 6-1-3 with a 1.90 GAA and .931 save percentage. Pheonix Copley, who is injured, is the Kings’ third goaltender.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Kyle Okposo
Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka
Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Alex Tuch
Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Victor Olofsson
Defense
Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson – Connor Clifton
Ryan Johnson – Erik Johnson
Goaltenders
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (projected starter), Eric Comrie
Los Angeles Kings
Forwards
Quinton Byfield – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore – Phillip Danault – Kevin Fiala
Alex Laferriere – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Carl Grundstrom – Alex Turcotte – Trevor Lewis
Defense
Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov – Matt Roy
Andreas Englund – Jordan Spence
Goaltenders
David Rittich, Cam Talbot