Los Angeles Kings vs Buffalo Sabres Preview & Prediction – 1/29/2026

The Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres will meet in NHL action on Thursday night in what could be the game of the night on the ice. Both teams are enjoying winning streaks heading into this game and only one of those winning streaks will survive this contest. Which team will that be? I try to answer that question right here, as I make my Kings vs Sabres prediction.

Our Kings vs Sabres Pick

Confidence: 3/5

Game Snapshot

• Matchup: Los Angeles Kings vs Buffalo Sabres
• Date & Time: Thursday, January 29, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
• Broadcast: ESPN+

Key Storylines

• Recent form: Buffalo is 7-2-1 across the last 10 games with a four-game winning streak heading into this matchup. Los Angeles has a 4-2-4 record over its last 10 games and has won three games in a row going into Thursday’s play.
• Injuries and availability: Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar has been listed on injured reserve in late January and he is expected to miss the next month or so for Los Angeles. Buffalo continues to monitor center depth with Josh Norris sidelined until early February. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is listed as day-to-day going into this game, which is big news considering how well he has played in goal.
• Goaltending: The goaltending situation in this game is interesting for both teams. The Kings will have to choose between Anton Forsberg and Darcy Kuemper here. Kuemper is expected to start, though both goaltenders have similar numbers this season and have both played well. With Luukkonen questionable for Buffalo, we could see Alex Lyon active in net. Lyon has a 2.70 GAA and two shutouts on the season.
• These teams have very different strengths entering this matchup. The Sabres are a better offensive team and average more shots per game than the Kings. But LA is a better defensive team and will try to use that to steal a win on the road.

Betting Trends & H2H

• This is the first of two regular-season games between the Kings and Sabres.
• The Sabres are 30-21 on the puckline going into this matchup.
• The Kings are 19-32 in the puckline market so far this season.

Kings vs Sabres Model Projection

Final Thoughts

Jay Sanin

Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.

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