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Sabres Look to ‘Electrify’ Home Crowd Against Kings Without Peterka

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Buffalo Sabres Los Angeles Kings game preview

The NHL season comes home to Buffalo today, as the Buffalo Sabres make their home debut. The Sabres face the Los Angeles Kings tonight as they look to bounce back from the winless opening two games of the season in Prague. The Kings traveled across the country to make their season debut, the first full one under head coach Jim Hiller.



Where to Watch

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)

TV: MSG, Bally Sports West

Stream: MSG+

Radio: WGR550

Sabres Gameday

The Sabres have started 0-2, and, to make matters worse, injuries have already thinned the forward group. Head coach Lindy Ruff said top left winger JJ Peterka will be out today. He suffered a concussion in game two against the New Jersey Devils in Prague. Peterka returned to practice in full on Wednesday and skated on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, so the news is somewhat of a surprise.

Zach Benson, according to Ruff, is a game-time decision. The Sabres will dress an extra player in case Benson cannot go, meaning they’d likely go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

More: Two Injured Sabres Could Return for Thursday’s Home Opener

If Benson cannot play, either Jacob Bryson or Dennis Gilbert will likely get the call. Bryson took line rushes on Tuesday with Buffalo’s fourth line in lieu of Peterka and Benson.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in the starter’s net, suggesting he will be the Sabres’ goalie tonight.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have a completely new look this season. They’re sporting a fresh new logo and flashy new jerseys, have a new coach in Hiller, and ditching the 1-3-1 system. Los Angeles also has some younger players in bigger roles for the team, especially with veteran Drew Doughty out long-term.

Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke are expected to combine to fill Doughty’s duties at even strength and on the powerplay. Forward Quinton Byfield also shifted to center, where he was projected to excel when the Kings drafted him second overall in the 2020 NHL Draft.

The Kings have a new goaltender as well, as Darcy Kuemper practiced as the team’s incumbent starter throughout training camp. He is expected to get the start tonight for the Kings against the Sabres.

Injury Report

Buffalo Sabres

  • Nicolas Aube-Kubel (Lower Body) 3-6 weeks [IR]
  • JJ Peterka (Concussion) Day-to-day
  • Zach Benson (Lower Body) Day-to-day

Los Angeles Kings

  • Drew Doughty (Ankle) Month-to-month [IR]
  • Arthur Kaliyev (Collarbone) Week-to-week

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards

Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

Zach Benson* – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jordan Greenway

Beck Malenstyn – Peyton Krebs – Sam Lafferty

Defense

Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju

Owen Power – Bowen Byram

Mattias Samuelsson – Connor Clifton

Goalies

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Projected)

Los Angeles Kings

Forwards

Alex Laferriere – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe

Tanner Jeannot – Phillip Danault – Trevor Moore

Kevin Fiala – Quinton Byfield – Warren Foegele

Alex Turcotte – Akil Thomas – Trevor Lewis

Defense

Mikey Anderson – Jordan Spence

Vladislav Gavrikov – Kyle Burroughs

Joel Edmundson – Brandt Clarke

Goalies

Darcy Kuemper (Projected)

Source: PuckLuck

Betting Odds Breakdown

Los Angeles Kings Buffalo Sabres win probability projected goals PuckLuck

Even before the news of JJ Peterka missing the game, the Los Angeles Kings were well-liked by the PuckLuck projections. According to the model, the Kings are projected for 106 points, which would be a big season.

With the moneyline fairly even, the Kings are the obvious play over the Sabres today. PuckLuck gives them about a 56% chance of winning, compared to the implied 52% by the sportsbooks. The puckline is also a good play for the Kings, although the payout is minimal at the +1.5 spread.

The key player that endears Los Angeles to the model is goalie Darcy Kuemper. With a better environment in front of him, Kuemper’s shown that he can be a top-tier goaltender in the NHL.

If you’re not already signed up, here are a couple of places offering exclusive deals through Buffalo Hockey Now:

Fanatics: https://fanatics.onelink.me/5kut/1v32imkp

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MGM: https://mediaserver.betmgmpartners.com/renderBanner.do?zoneId=1714117

(Up to $1,500 back.)

For more betting analysis across the NHL, 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.*