The Buffalo Sabres (26-21-4) will be out to halt their losing streak when they travel to face the Los Angeles Kings (29-18-7) at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.
Buffalo is coming off a high-scoring 7-2 loss against the Flames on Saturday, their third defeat in a row. The Sabres committed five penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.
Tage Thompson and Casey Mittelstadt both scored once for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen only had 33 saves on 40 shots against (.825%) in the loss.
Los Angeles beat the Penguins 6-0 on Saturday. Adrian Kempe was the leading goal scorer for the Kings, netting four times. Pheonix Copley had a dominant performance with 25 saves to earn his zeroth shutout of the season.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Sabres won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 6-0 victory in December. Thompson (2G 1A) and Dylan Cozens (0G 3A) each had three points to lead Buffalo. Craig Anderson saved 40 shots to earn the shutout win.
FACING OFF
Buffalo is averaging 3.67 goals per game for the season, third in the NHL, and they are taking on a Kings team that is allowing 3.37 goals a game (22nd).
Meanwhile, Los Angeles has found the net 3.24 times a game on average, 13th in the league, and the Sabres are allowing opponents to score 3.45 goals per game (24th).
The Sabres’ 25.42% power play percentage is the fifth-best in the league, while the Kings rank seventh with a conversion rate of 24.46%. While efficient on the power play, Buffalo has been poor at penalty killing, as the away team possesses the league’s fourth-lowest PK% at 73.20%. Los Angeles’ 75.00% ranks 27th in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 69 points this season, eighth-most in the NHL, Thompson is the top skater for the Sabres. He is among the league leaders with 35 goals (4th) and has added 34 assists. In the net, Anderson (8-6-2) is Buffalo’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.73 GAA and a .918% save percentage. Luukkonen (13-6-2) leads the Sabres in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.30 and a save percentage of .899%. Kevin Fiala leads the Kings in scoring with 55 points. He has 18 goals and 37 assists in 54 games.
Copley (15-3-1) has the best goals against average for Los Angeles at 2.92. He has a save percentage of .897%. Jonathan Quick (8-12-4) has played the most games in net for the Kings this season. He has a 3.41 GAA and a .881% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Buffalo is 15-7-2 away from home this season. Los Angeles is 15-9-2 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
LA Kings (-145)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
