Sabres vs. Kings Recap: Thompson's PP Winner, Kings Shot Props Cash

The Sabres beat the Kings 3-2 in regulation on Saturday afternoon, and it came down to Buffalo's power play. Jack Quinn opened the scoring on a power play at 6:35 of the 1st, and Tage Thompson made it 2-0 at even strength at 15:38 of the 2nd. Los Angeles answered twice: Corey Perry deflected one in on the power play at 17:24 of the 2nd, and Andre Lee tipped in the tying goal 1:29 into the 3rd. Thompson settled it with his second goal of the night, a power-play snap shot at 13:40 of the 3rd. Buffalo outshot Los Angeles 31-29 and scored 2 power-play goals on 3 chances, while the Kings scored once on 5 chances. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 27 saves on 29 shots for Buffalo. Two DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game, both on Kings shooters.

What cashed

Alex Laferriere 2+ shots on goal (-320 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Laferriere had put 2 or more shots on goal in 9 of his last 10 games, about 2.5 per game, and with Fiala and Zuccarello out he was logging around 20 minutes a night. - What happened: Laferriere finished with 3 shots on goal in 23:13 of ice time, including 4:35 on the power play, plus 4 hits. That cleared the 1.5 line by 1.5 shots. - Worth watching: The minutes came in above the 20 we expected, with real power-play time on top. As long as that role holds, the volume angle is worth a look, though at -320 the price leaves little room.

Artemi Panarin 3+ shots on goal (-115 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Panarin was averaging 3.25 shots per game with 3 or more in 8 of his last 10, with Fiala and Zuccarello out of the lineup. - What happened: Panarin landed exactly 3 shots on goal in 24:50, the most ice time of any Kings forward, with 5:37 on the power play. He cleared the 2.5 line by half a shot. This was a longer shot on our board that landed. - Worth watching: He led Los Angeles in power-play time, and the Kings drew 5 power plays here. A near-even price on a player with this much usage is the kind of number worth checking again.

How the game played out

The 2nd period was the swing. Thompson's even-strength goal put Buffalo up 2-0, but Perry's power-play deflection 1:46 later and Lee's tip early in the 3rd erased it. From there it was a special-teams game, and Buffalo's power play won it, with Quinn and Rasmus Dahlin assisting on the winner. Los Angeles could not find the equalizer, and Anton Forsberg finished with 28 saves on 31 shots.

Trends to watch

• Kings ice time is concentrated: Panarin played 24:50 and Laferriere 23:13, and both saw more than 4 minutes on the power play. That is the usage that drives shot props.
• Perry put 9 shots on goal for Los Angeles and Thompson put 8 on goal for Buffalo, the two biggest shot totals in the game.
• Buffalo blocked 30 shots while Los Angeles won 64.2 percent of faceoffs, so plenty of Kings attempts never reached the net.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. More on the board at NHL, past games in NHL recaps, and how player props work in our player prop glossary entry.