February 13, 2023 by Jeffery Ade

Following a nine-day break, the Buffalo Sabres dropped a 7-2 decision to the Calgary Flames on Saturday. For a team within striking distance of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, it was a disappointing start to the unofficial second half of the season.

One bright spot in the game was the return of Tage Thompson, who suffered an upper-body on February 1 and missed the NHL All-Star Game. Thompson scored his team-leading 35th goal of the season and set a new career-high in points with 69.

Looking to get back in the win column, the Sabres take on the Los Angeles Kings as they begin their three-game road trip and annual California swing. Per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News, the Sabres had their “hardest” practice of the season on Sunday. Head Coach Don Granato mixed up the forward lines during Sunday’s practice and kept them that way for Monday.

The Sabres’ top-six forward group has generally remained the same all season, but Granato has switched things up for Monday’s game, with Jeff Skinner, Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch together, and Casey Mittelstadt, Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo as the new top two lines.

Related: Sabres primed for second-half surge

The Sabres are facing a tough challenge on Monday night as the Kings are coming off a 6-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins and sit in a three-way tie for second place in the Pacific Division. The Kings’ recent success can be attributed to career minor leaguer Pheonix Copley, who recently signed a one-year extension worth $1.5 million per season and has been surprising everyone with his stellar play this season. With a 16-3-1 record, a goals-against average of 2.77, and a .901 save percentage, Copley has been impressive in the 21 games he’s played this season.

Buffalo is currently trailing Pittsburgh by five points for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand, making this week crucial for the team. 41-year-old goaltender Craig Anderson will start his 701st career NHL game and 18th start of the season against the Kings. It is yet to be seen if the Sabres will use three different goalies across this California road trip.

Staying on the West Coast, the Sabres will visit the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, where they will look to continue their success against them. The Sabres have a 4-1-0 record over their last five games at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Then, they will travel to Northern California to visit the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, where they have a 1-4-0 record over their last five visits to the SAP Center.

A strong showing in California this coming week could improve the Sabres’ playoff chances this year while also helping some other Pacific Division teams in the process.