LA Kings at Buffalo Sabres projected lineup, betting preview

The road trip continues for the LA Kings as they meet the Sabres in Buffalo on Tuesday after Sunday’s loss in Columbus.

Projected Lineups

LA Kings (15-11-5)

The team was off on Monday but they had a few roster moves that were made. We’ll have a better idea after Tuesday’s skate, but with Viktor Arvidsson and Drew Doughty out, here’s how the Kings could potentially line up:

Fiala – Kopitar – Kaliyev
Moore – Danault – Kempe
Iafallo – Kupari – Vilardi
Anderson-Dolan – Lizotte – Grundstrom
Fagemo

Anderson – Durzi
Bjornfot – Roy
Edler – Walker
Spence

Copley
Quick

I wouldn’t have an issue with Adrian Kempe back on the top line, but if there isn’t a need to break them up, I don’t think Todd McLellan will do so. There’s a vacancy on the right side of Phillip Danault‘s line in Arvidsson’s absence. There are a few options for this. If they decide to put the recently called-up Rasmus Kupari into the lineup, I think Kempe is a logical choice for that line.

Whether or not we see either Kupari or Jordan Spence remains to be seen. Personally, I’d have them in, but I am not necessarily expecting it.

Pheonix Copley has a good chance to start after Jonathan Quick‘s six goals against in Columbus.

As always, we’ll learn more after the Kings skate.

Buffalo Sabres (12-14-2)

Here’s how the Sabres lined up during Monday’s practice:

Sabres’ lines/pairs at practice with Skinner suspended 2 more games:

Mittelstadt-Thompson-Tuch
Peterka-Cozens-Quinn
Asplund-Jost-Olofsson
Girgensons-Krebs-Okposo

Samuelsson-Dahlin
Power-Bryson
Clague-Fitzgerald
Extras: Skinner, Hinostroza, Pilut.

— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) December 12, 2022

With Jeff Skinner suspended, it shakes things up just a bit. Casey Mittelstadt has spent most of his time as the third-line center but will get moved up to play alongside Tage Thomson and Alex Tuch.

Former King Kale Clague looks like he could crack the lineup as well.

Craig Anderson appears to be the starter.

5-on-5

Here’s how the two teams match up at 5-on-5 per Natural Stat Trick

Don’t let the fact that this is the Buffalo Sabres confuse you, they’re a much-improved team. The top of their lineup, led by Tage Thompson, is extremely dangerous. They do have flaws in their bottom six and the goaltending hasn’t been great.

Despite all of the negative noise around the Kings, they continue to be an above-average possession team.

Special Teams

The LA Kings’ power play has hit a bit of a skid lately, going 0-for-8, but are still in a good place overall. At 24.1%, the team has the 11th-best power play in the NHL. Their 26th-ranked penalty kill is still not very pleasant to watch.

For the Sabres, they have a lethal power play right now, clicking at 28% on the season, good for 4th in the NHL. Buffalo has four players with double-digit points with the man advantage in Rasmus Dahlin (17), Tage Thompson (16), Casey Mittlestadt (10), and Jeff Skinner (10). Thompson leads the team in power play goals with nine.

To continue with the similarities, the Sabre’s power play is among the worst in the NHL. Their 70.5% is good for 28th in the league.

Betting Odds

Let’s take a look at the odds, courtesy of our partner Betstamp (promo code: hockeyroyalty).

*Note: the odds below are for sports books offered in New York. Refer to available sports books specific to your state.
**Odds as of 11 am ET/8 am PT may have changed since this was published.

The two teams are quite similar and the oddsmakers agree, making this virtually a toss-up. BetRivers is offering the LA Kings at -104 while FanDuel has -105. The total started at 6.5 and has crept to seven at some books. If you like the Over, FanDuel’s Over-7 offers the best value at +116. For the Under, WynnBet’s Under-6.5 at +115 is your best bet there.

Both teams can put pucks in the net. Neither team can keep pucks out of their net.

DraftKings Player Props

Sponsored by DraftKings (promo code THPN)

Anze Kopitar has three goals in his last two games and six points in his last five. He is +200 to find the back of the net in Buffalo and +120 to pick up an assist.

We’ll have to see what Todd McLellan ultimately does with the lineup, but I still expect Kevin Fiala to play alongside Kopitar. Fiala is -105 to register an assist.

Victor Olofsson is a player that hasn’t been able to find his groove, especially at 5-on-5, but he has a lethal shot. Against LA whose goaltending has struggled this season, if he gets enough chances, he could very well score on Tuesday. He is +270 to do so.

It’s hard to not want to bet on Tage Thompson to score in this one, despite his hot start he is still +105 to score Tuesday.

Good luck, and enjoy the game!

Follow me on Betstamp @JWPatarino! 

(Main Photo Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)