Kings at Sabres preview
Lehner in goal for Buffalo, which has won eight straight at home against Los Angeles
by Joe Yerdon / NHL.com Correspondent
KINGS (30-22-5) at SABRES (17-30-11)
1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SNE, SNO, SNW, MSG-B, FS-W, NHL.TV
The Game
The Los Angeles Kings will try for their first road win against the Buffalo Sabres in almost 15 years when they come to KeyBank Center on Saturday. The Sabres have won eight in a row against the Kings in Buffalo since a 4-1 loss on Feb. 21, 2003, and are 14-1-1 (tie) in their past 16 home games against Los Angeles.
The Kings, who've lost three in a row after winning the opener of their seven-game road trip, are three points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Jonathan Quick made 36 saves in a 3-1 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday and may start. Backup Darcy Kuemper is 4-0-0 in his past six games (five starts) with a .939 save percentage.
The Sabres are 3-1-1 in their past five games and will likely start Robin Lehner against the Kings. Lehner made 33 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
Players to watch
Kings center Anze Kopitar has eight points (four goals, four assists) in the past six games and 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in the past 13.
Sabres forward Sam Reinhart has eight points (three goals, five assists) in the past six games and 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in the past 11.
They said it
"I think we've just got to get a reset. I think anytime you hit this point of the season, it's about each game and getting your game in order; even if you're a team solidified in a playoff spot, the main concern is how you're playing going into the playoffs. Our main concern is to get our team game in order and win this game." -- Kings coach John Stevens
"I don't know if it's frustrating. It's more disappointing. We're making strides and we're playing the right way. For us, all 20 guys have to be focused and prepared to battle and win those one-on-one battles. I thought we had a lot of one-arm reaching with sticks and not getting engaged. Eventually that's going to come back to bite you." -- Sabres coach Phil Housley on losing to the Senators
Kings projected lineup
Alex Iafallo -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson -- Adrian Kempe -- Tyler Toffoli
Jonny Brodzinski -- Torrey Mitchell -- Kyle Clifford
Andy Andreoff -- Nate Thompson -- Michael Amadio
Jake Muzzin -- Drew Doughty
Dion Phaneuf -- Alec Martinez
Derek Forbort -- Christian Folin
Jonathan Quick
Darcy Kuemper
Scratched: Kevin Gravel, Michael Mersch, Paul LaDue
Injured: Trevor Lewis (upper body), Jeff Carter (lower body)
Sabres projected lineup
Evander Kane -- Ryan O'Reilly -- Sam Reinhart
Benoit Pouliot -- Evan Rodrigues -- Kyle Okposo
Scott Wilson -- Johan Larsson -- Jason Pominville
Zemgus Girgensons -- Jacob Josefson -- Jordan Nolan
Marco Scandella -- Casey Nelson
Nathan Beaulieu -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Justin Falk -- Victor Antipin
Robin Lehner
Chad Johnson
Scratched: Nicholas Baptiste, Josh Gorges
Injured: Jack Eichel (ankle), Jake McCabe (thumb), Zach Bogosian (hip)
Status report
The Kings held an optional practice Friday.
Stat pack
The Kings have held opponents to two or fewer goals in five of the past nine games. … The Sabres have scored at least four goals in four of their past five games.