Game Preview: Islanders at Sabres

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3-5-2) VS BUFFALO SABRES (4-5-1)

7 PM | KEYBANK CENTER

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The New York Islanders’ three-game road trip continues, as they take on the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night at KeyBank Center.

The Isles are looking to move past a 2-0 shutout loss in Columbus, which doubled as their fourth shutout of the season, and third straight loss. Damon Severson broke the ice at 5:43 of the third period and Justin Danforth buried an empty net goal to pad the win. Semyon Varlamov had a 24-save effort in the loss.

The Isles will look to right the ship against the Sabres, a team they went 1-2-0 against last season, with the home team winning each matchup. KeyBank Center has been a challenging building for the Isles as they are winless in their previous seven games in Buffalo (0-5-2).

Buffalo is 4-5-1 in its first 10 games of the season, most recently coming off a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday, which interrupted the Sabres three-game win streak. Friday’s tilt against the Isles is the first game of a back-to-back set for Buffalo before they travel to Detroit to take on the Red Wings.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

- Mathew Barzal will miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury as he returned to Long Island for an evaluation by team doctors. Barzal has five points (2G, 3A) in his first 10 games.

Anders Lee and JG Pageau took line rushes with Bo Horvat at morning skate in Buffalo on Friday. In other lineup news, Casey Cizikas shifted back to center on a line with Simon Holmstrom and Pierre Engvall. Oliver Wahlstrom is expected to draw into the lineup for the first time since Oct. 25 against the Devils. Friday will mark his 200th NHL game.

- Alexander Romanov participated in Friday's morning skate after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Per Roy, Romanov is "likely" to play but is considered a game-time decision.

- Roy confirmed Ilya Sorokin as the starter on Friday against Buffalo. The Russian netminder is off to a hot start with a .932 SV% and a 1.80 GAA but has a 2-2-1 record. Against Buffalo, Sorokin is 3-2-0 in five career appearances, along with a .914 SV% and a 2.60 GAA.

- Devon Levi is the expected starter for the Sabres. Levi is 1-2-0 this season with a 3.79 GAA and an .874 SV% this season. Levi lost his only start against the Islanders, allowing three goals on 29 shots on Oct. 14, 2023.

ISLES NOTES

- The Isles have been shut out four times in the first 10 games of the season and have scored one goal or fewer in five of their first 10 games. They’re averaging the fourth-most shots per game (32.3),but are averaging the fewest goals per game (2.10).

"At the end, we couldn’t find the back of the net," Head Coach Patrick Roy said after Wednesday's 2-0 loss. "We’re going to the net. We’re bringing pucks to the net. The bounces are just not going our way. How many times did [Blue Jackets netminder Elvis Merzlikins] look behind him tonight? They were great chances, and we just couldn’t finish."

- The Islanders were disciplined and did not take a penalty on Wednesday, maintaining their perfect road PK (7-for-7). Their home penalty kill is a different story, as the Islanders are 33.3% on home ice.

- Casey Cizikas leads all current Isles with 20 points (6G, 14A) in 37 career appearances against the Sabres.

- The Islanders faceoff percentage (56.0%) ranks 2nd in the NHL.

- The Islanders will play eight of the next 10 games on the road.

SABRES NOTES

- Lindy Ruff is back in Buffalo as Head Coach, replacing Don Granato, who was relieved of his duties after the Sabres missed the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season. Ruff served as Head Coach from 1997 to 2013, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2006. His first tenure with the organization marked the NHL longest-active head coaching stint with the same team. Between coaching tenures in Buffalo, Ruff served as head coach for the Dallas Stars (2013-17) and New Jersey Devils (2020-24).

- Tage Thompson leads Buffalo with seven goals and 12 points through 10 games. The forward led the team with 29 goals last season and is two seasons removed from a 94-point campaign in 2022-23.

- Rasmus Dahlin was named captain of the Sabres ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. The 24-year-old defenseman signed an eight-year extension last October, which began this season, marked the biggest deal in franchise history with an AAV of 11 million. The 2018 first overall pick is on the cusp of 300 career points, with 298 points (67G, 231A) through 446 NHL games, all with the Sabres.

- Buffalo’s power play has struggled this season, converting at 6.9% and ranking 32nd in the NHL.

- Zach Benson (lower-body) has been sidelined since Oct. 19, but is making progress toward his return, as the 19-year-old skated on his own on Thursday morning, per Ruff. His status against the Islanders is unknown. Benson, who was drafted 13th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, tallied 30 points (11G, 19A) in 71 games of his rookie season.