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Kings face a formidable back-to-back challenge

March 20, 2026

EL SEGUNDO –– The Kings were comfortably uncomfortable ahead of this weekend’s back-to-back set, which will pit them against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and then take them to Utah to confront the Mammoth on Sunday.

By virtue of a Seattle Kraken loss on Thursday night, the Kings ascended into a wild-card spot, one that they had sole possession of after squeaking a point out of a shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers later that same evening.

Now, they’ll face two of the hottest teams in the NHL and ones that are on track to break playoff appearance droughts that are even longer than the Kings’ playoffs series win dry spell that dated to 2014. The Sabres are set to snap what is technically the longest absence in the NHL and the Mammoth, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, haven’t seen any iteration of their franchise make a conventional postseason since they lost to the Kings in the 2012 Western Conference Finals.

“Whether you’re out by a point or in by a point, day to day, that doesn’t secure anything or make you feel better,” Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said. “The next game is the most important. We’ve got two big ones coming here, back to back, against teams that haven’t done a whole lot of losing, and we’ve got to find a way to win games.”

Despite their historical futility – the Sabres are tied with the Vancouver Canucks as the oldest franchises to never win the Stanley Cup and the Mammoth-Coyotes-Winnipeg Jets continuum would be right on their heels – Buffalo and Utah have been serious competitors this season.

Since the calendar turned, Utah owns the league’s eighth-best points percentage. It’s on a course to play the Pacific Division winner in the first round, and could foreseeably challenge for a spot in the conference finals as a wild card.

On Nov. 8, Buffalo sat 30th among 32 franchises. Since Nov. 9, they’ve placed first. Since Dec. 9, just before they shook up their front office, they’ve posted a staggering .825 points percentage. During that lengthy span, they’ve placed second in goals per game and first in goals allowed per game.

Smith said the Sabres were a team that, given time and space, was “eating up the league right now.”

“They’re rolling and they’re feeling good. They score in bunches,” Smith said. “I was just going through their lineup and that’s as deep of a nine forwards as there is in the league. Speed-wise, you look at their back end, you’ve got two first overall picks back there and some guys who can really move the puck. They’re making plays and they’re feeling it; I think it’s a really good challenge for our group.”

On the Kings’ injury front, Adrian Kempe (lower-body injury) was off the ice for an optional practice Friday but was “feeling better,” per Smith. He would again be a game-time decision, as he was for a match he missed against the New York Rangers and the one he played in against Philly.

Smith also said Joel Armia was set to return for his first game since Feb. 26, when he aggravated an injury he sustained at the Olympics. Armia was a first-round draft pick of these same Sabres back in 2011 but played just one game with Buffalo.

Buffalo at Kings

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV: FDSN West

Kings at Utah

When: 6 p.m. Sunday

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City

TV: FDSN SoCal

Orange County Register

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Kings face a formidable back-to-back challenge

Buffalo at Kings

Kings at Utah

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