Los Angeles Kings at Buffalo Sabres: game preview
Los AngelesKings2026-27: 0-2-1 · 1 pts · 2025-26: 35-27-20 · 90 pts · 20that
BuffaloSabres2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-23-9 · 109 pts · 4thNineteen points apart last season
Los Angeles finished last season 20th in the league on 90 points. Buffalo finished 4th on 109.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 139
Across 138 completed games, Buffalo lead the head-to-head 79-54-5.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each 2025-26 meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 29 Jan 2026, Los Angeles were 22nd in the league and Buffalo 7th. By 21 Mar 2026 it was 22nd and 4th.
Los Angeles out-attempted Buffalo 122 to 110
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Los Angeles Kings
Buffalo Sabres
Los Angeles and Buffalo are level on chances, last 10 games
Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.
This season: 3 games for Los Angeles, 3 for Buffalo. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Los Angeles, 10 for Buffalo.
2025-26: 82 games for Los Angeles, 82 for Buffalo.
Power play and penalty kill, season and series
This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.
All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings
Los Angeles
Small sampleBuffalo
Small sampleSkaters to watch
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.
Who has stopped this matchup
Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Expected starter after their game on 19 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 18 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Los Angeles crease
LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Dec
No appearances against Buffalo in the last meetings.
Buffalo crease
BUF · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Dec
No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.
Scoring rates point to about 6.3 goals
No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.
Goals in the last 5 meetings
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01
Buffalo3.333.673.512.94Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.
9 on the injury lists
Los Angeles · injuries
Buffalo · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Placed D Otto Salin on the injured non-roster list. Loaned G Erik Portillo to Ontario (AHL).
Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford (AHL) Fs Martin Chromia, Cole Guttman, Lane Pederson and Francesco Pinelli and D Joe Hicketts. Loaned Fs Aatu Jamsen and Koehn Ziemmer, Ds Angus Booth, Kirill Kirsanov and Jared Woolley to Ontario. Placed F Jan Jenik and D Jakub Dvorak on injured reserve.
Signed F Elton Hermansson to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Loaned D Dennis Gilbert to Rochester (AHL).
Recalled D Dennis Gilbert from Rochester (AHL). Placed G Alex Lyon and D Olen Zellweger on injured reserve. Signed D Louis Crevier to a four-year contract. Transferred F Matthew Savoie to long-term injured reserve.
Signed C Noah Östlund to an eight-year contract.
Los Angeles · 2026 draft
See all: Los Angeles · 2026 draft →Buffalo · 2026 draft
See all: Buffalo · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final