Kings vs Sabres closes out a busy week at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, with puck drop at 1 p.m. PT. The Los Angeles Kings (4-6-2) host the Buffalo Sabres (6-4-3) less than two days after Brandt Clarke was boarded in Thursday’s 6-5 overtime win over Ottawa. The good news: Clarke practiced Friday, and NHL.com’s projected lineup has him on the top defense pair. The NHL also suspended Senators forward Hayden Hodgson for two games for the hit.
Brandt Clarke’s status
Clarke left Thursday’s game in the second period after Hodgson hit him from behind into the corner boards. Hodgson got a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct. Clarke had played 11:37 and picked up a power-play assist before he was hurt. After the game, coach Peter Laviolette said Clarke was “under examination,” adding, “He’s doing well, though.”
- Friday: The LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley reported Clarke on the ice before practice, and NHL.com’s status report says he practiced.
- Projected lineup: NHL.com has Clarke paired with Erik Gustafsson on the top pair.
- Official status: ESPN still lists Clarke as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. As of Saturday morning, the Kings had not officially confirmed he will play. Treat him as probable but unconfirmed until warmups.
- Season so far: Clarke has three goals and six assists in 12 games, which ties him for second on the team in scoring.
Hayden Hodgson gets two games
The NHL Department of Player Safety held a phone hearing with Hodgson on Friday and suspended him for two games without pay. He will forfeit $8,762.88, which goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. “Hodgson closes in from behind and delivers a high hit that both makes contact with Clarke’s head and hits him hard into the boards,” the league said in its explanation video. “This is boarding.”
Because the hearing was held by phone, the maximum possible suspension was five games. According to the Ottawa Citizen, Hodgson will miss Ottawa’s games at San Jose on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday and can return Wednesday at Buffalo. Laviolette called it “as dirty as there can be” right after the game. Pro Hockey Rumors reports this is Hodgson’s fourth suspension as a pro, including a five-game AHL ban in February 2026. We have not confirmed that count with a second source.
Projected Kings lineup
This is NHL.com’s projection based on Friday’s practice:
- Forwards: Artemi Panarin, Alex Laferriere and Adrian Kempe; Trevor Moore, Quinton Byfield and Corey Perry; Erik Haula, Scott Laughton and Joel Armia; Andre Lee, Samuel Helenius and Taylor Ward.
- Defense: Erik Gustafsson and Brandt Clarke; Joel Edmundson and Drew Doughty; Mikey Anderson and Brian Dumoulin.
- Goalies: Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg.
- Scratches: Martin Chromiak and Cody Ceci.
- Injured: Kevin Fiala (leg surgery), Mats Zuccarello (upper body) and Alex Turcotte (undisclosed). ESPN also lists Jakub Dvorak (upper body) on injured reserve.
NHL.com says Kempe and Kuemper skipped Friday’s practice for maintenance but are both expected to play. Kuemper got his fourth win on Thursday even though he allowed five goals on 22 shots. The team hasn’t officially named its starting goalie.
Where the Kings stand
Thursday’s win was the Kings’ first at home this season, so they are 1-3-0 at Crypto.com Arena. They are 3-2 in their last five games: an overtime win at the Islanders, a loss at New Jersey, a 6-3 win at the Rangers, a 2-1 loss at Chicago and the overtime win over Ottawa. Panarin leads the team with eight goals and 13 points, and Laferriere leads in assists with seven.
Overtime has been a big focus. Associate coach Phil Housley built a structured 3-on-3 plan over the summer, and the Kings practice it in timed five-minute sessions with line changes and a shootout afterward. Laviolette told the LA Kings Insider he thinks the team “should be better than 2-2 in overtime,” because “we’ve played 12 minutes and I thought we controlled 10 of it.” Doughty said it was “the first year in my whole career that we’ve ever actually worked on 3-on-3.”
Scouting the Sabres
- Form: Buffalo wraps up a four-game road trip here. It is 2-0-1 on the trip so far: an overtime loss at Washington, a 2-0 win at San Jose and a 7-6 win at Anaheim on Thursday.
- Tage Thompson: He had a hat trick in Anaheim and leads the Sabres with eight goals and 15 points. Zach Benson leads the team with nine assists.
- Goaltending: According to Buffalo’s practice report, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen took the starter’s net on Friday and is expected to start. He last played Oct. 24 at Washington, stopping 30 of 34 shots in an overtime loss. Colten Ellis is the backup.
- Late-game defense: Buffalo spent most of Friday’s short practice on defending six-on-five, after allowing two late extra-attacker goals in Anaheim.
- Projected Sabres lineup: Peyton Krebs, Tage Thompson and Zach Benson make up the top line, and Rasmus Dahlin plays with Mattias Samuelsson. Noah Ostlund missed Friday’s practice for maintenance but is expected to play.
- Injuries: Jiri Kulich (concussion protocol), Alex Lyon, Konsta Helenius, Matt Grzelcyk, Conor Timmins and Justin Danforth are listed by NHL.com.
Keys for the Kings
- Keep the lead: On Thursday the Kings were up 5-1 and gave up four goals in about 11 minutes before winning in overtime. Buffalo scored seven in Anaheim, so it can score quickly too.
- Stay out of the penalty box: The AP’s preview says the Kings are 2-4-0 when their opponent commits fewer penalties.
- Top-line matchup: Panarin’s line is likely to see Thompson’s line often. Doughty’s pair will have to handle the matchup if Clarke is limited.
This is the first of two meetings between the teams this season. After Saturday, the Kings get a three-day break and then host the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, Nov. 7. NHL.com lists the broadcasts as ABTV, MSG-B and SN1, and ESPN lists streaming on ESPN+.
Notes and conflicts
- Time of the hit: The NHL’s suspension release says it happened at 11:10 of the second period. The NHL.com hearing notice and other reports say 11:15.
- Infraction: The NHL’s release lists boarding. The AP headline says charging and boarding.
- Laviolette’s quote: The Ottawa Citizen quotes him as saying “That’s as dirty a hit as there can be.” Other reports have “That’s as dirty as there can be.”
- Records: The AP’s preview, written before Thursday’s results were updated, lists the Kings at 0-3-0 at home and the Sabres at 2-1-3 on the road. ESPN has 1-3-0 and 3-1-3.
- Danforth: The AP lists him day-to-day, and ESPN lists him on injured reserve. The AP also lists Kings forward Jan Jenik as out, but NHL.com does not include him on its list.
- Clarke: He practiced Friday and is projected to play, but neither the team nor ESPN has confirmed he will be in the lineup.
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