Los Angeles Kings vs Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks, Odds, Predictions 10/31/21

The Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings meet Sunday in NHL action at the Staples Center. The Buffalo Sabres look for a win after splitting their last four games. The Los Angeles Kings need a win after losing six of their last seven games.

The Buffalo Sabres are averaging 3.14 goals per game and are scoring on 30 percent of their power play opportunities. Victor Olofsson leads Buffalo with four goals, Colin Miller has five assists and Jeff Skinner has 24 shots on goal. Defensively, the Buffalo Sabres are allowing two goals per game and are killing 88.2 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Dustin Tokarski has given up three goals on 60 shots faced, and Craig Anderson has given up 10 goals on 163 shots.

The Los Angeles Kings are averaging 2.63 goals per game and are scoring on 25 percent of their power play opportunities. Anze Kopitar leads Los Angeles with six goals, Drew Doughty has six assists and Viktor Arvidsson has 29 shots on goal. Defensively, the Los Angeles Kings are allowing 3.13 goals per game and are killing 66.7 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jonathan Quick has given up 11 goals on 118 shots faced, and Calvin Petersen has given up 13 goals on 124 shots.

The Sabres are 22-70 in their last 92 road games and 16-38 in their last 54 overall. The Kings are 1-6 in their last 7 home games and 9-24 in their last 33 overall. The over is 4-0 in Sabres last 4 Sunday games. The under is 5-1 in Kings last 6 overall. The Sabres are 4-10 in the last 14 meetings in Los Angeles and 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.

This is another matchup I’m not thrilled about, and while the Sabres are off to a great start, they’re also a team that lets me down right when I gain confidence, and they’ve been horrible in the underdog role these last couple years. With that said, the Los Angeles Kings have serious defensive issues and playing at home hasn’t really helped them. We’re getting plus money with the team in better form. Give me the Sabres.