Sabres vs. Kings: Projected Lines, Betting Odds, How to Watch & More

The Buffalo Sabres (20-23-4) will try to forget the sluggish loss last night as they take on the Los Angeles Kings (22-13-9) tonight. Maybe it was the jet lag, or maybe it’s the adjustment to the Southern California weather, but the Sabres simply did not show out in Tuesday’s contest in Anaheim.

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The Kings are a more refined team than the Ducks, although they’re currently in a mid-season slump. Their 2-4-4 record in the last 10 games has dropped Los Angeles into a Wild Card position and now chasing the surging Edmonton Oilers.

How to Watch

Gametime: 10:30 p.m. ET

Location: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, CA)

TV: MSG (Buffalo); BSW (Los Angeles)

Stream: MSG+; ESPN+ (Out of market)

Radio: WGR550

The Sabres

With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen expected to get a rest tonight, it will be Devon Levi’s turn to show he can play at a high level and challenge for starts going forward. Levi last played in the NHL on January 9th, surrendering five goals in a loss to the Seattle Kraken.

Goal scoring will be the buzz phrase of tonight’s game for Buffalo, as the Sabres only registered more than three goals in twice over the last 13 games. With the NHL average in goals per game for a team about 3.13, the Sabres woes basically boil down to the lack of pucks in the net.

The Kings

The Kings started the season red hot, and have quickly faded in the standings since mid-December. One of the major reasons is the disappointing goaltending from today’s starter, Cam Talbot.

Talbot has not won a game since December 23rd, which means he’s lost eight straight decisions. The structure of the Kings’ system is set for goalies to thrive, and Talbot has been unable to take advantage.

The other big disappointment this season in Los Angeles is the play of newly acquired center Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Kings paid a hefty price (Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, and a 2024 second-round draft choice) for the former third overall pick.

Dubois has 19 points in 44 games for the Kings, which is only a 35-point season-long pace.

Injury Report

Buffalo

• Erik Johnson (Upper Body) Day-to-Day

Los Angeles

• Matt Roy (Personal) Day-to-Day
• Blake Lizotte (Lower Body) Out [IR]
• Pheonix Copley (Knee) Out [IR]
• Viktor Arvidsson (Back) Out [IR]

Buffalo Sabres

Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

JJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Zach Benson

Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Kyle Okposo

Rasmus Dahlin – Mattias Samuelsson

Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju

Ryan Johnson – Connor Clifton

Devon Levi (Projected)

Lineup Source: PuckLuck Projected

Goalie Source: PuckLuck Projected

Los Angeles Kings

Quinton Byfield – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore – Phillip Danault – Kevin Fiala

Alex Laferriere – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Carl Grundstrom – Trevor Lewis – Samuel Fagemo

Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty

Vladislav Gavrikov – Matt Roy

Andreas Englund – Brandt Clarke

Cam Talbot (Confirmed)

Lineup Source: Zach Dooley, LAKingsInsider.com

Goalie Source: Zach Dooley, LAKingsInsider.com

Betting Odds Breakdown

Folks, we have some edge on the Sabres tonight. The PuckLuck projection puts them at 46% chance of winning based on the simulations, which is quite a bit higher than the 38% implied by the sportsbooks.

Whether to go on the moneyline or puckline is really more of whichever kind of bet you prefer. The moneyline has about an 8% edge and is riskier with a higher payout. Remember that it is more likely to miss than hit.

The puckline, however, has about a 10% edge and is a much safer play. PuckLuck puts the odds at about 69% of the Sabres finishing within one goal or better, which would cash the +1.5 spread.

The game total is not a solid option to bet tonight, with too much variance in net between Talbot and Levi.

For more betting analysis across the NHL, be sure to head over to PuckLuck.com.

*PuckLuck.com provides data related to gambling and cannot guarantee the success of any suggested or related wagers. Please gamble responsibly.*