Game Preview: Islanders vs Sabres

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (12-6-4) VS. BUFFALO SABRES (6-11-3)
7PM | NASSAU COLISEUM
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 970 AM
The New York Islanders return to Nassau Coliseum for a five-game homestand that begins on Thursday night with the first of three-straight meetings against the Buffalo Sabres.
The Islanders and Sabres have already faced off in three previous meetings and the Islanders firmly have a 3-0-0 advantage in the season series. The upcoming three-game set will mark the second time in Islanders' history where they have faced an opponent three-consecutive times - they last did so against New Jersey on March 4th, 8th and 10th, in 2012.

Overall, the Islanders have won their last two games and have points in five-straight games (4-0-1). The Islanders defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Tuesday night, as Oliver Wahlstrom and Anders Lee found the back of the net. Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves in the win.
The Sabres are in the midst of a five-game road trip, where stops in Manhattan and Philadelphia sandwich their three games vs the Islanders. Buffalo has lost four-straight games (0-3-1) entering Thursday's action. On Tuesday, they suffered a 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers. Sam Reinhart and Tobias Reider scored while Carter Hutton made 16 saves on 19 shots in the loss.
For the Islanders, their focus heading into three-straight games against the same team is to take it 'one period at a time,' according to Head Coach Barry Trotz. And with each game, their goal is to collect as many points as possible to create further separation in the razor-thin margins of the East Division.
"This league tests you," Trotz said. "You can't dominate teams, you can dominate them for stretches of a game. Your team gets a push, you're pushing for a while and then the other team is going to push...We're learning to manage our not so good moments and we're taking advantage of our good moments."

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders have earned points in 13 of their last 15 games (9-2-4). During that span, they are 7-0-2 against everyone except Pittsburgh. In their last five-straight games, the Islanders are 4-0-1.
• Wahlstrom's rookie campaign continues to heat up as the 20-year-old scored his fourth goal of the season and extended his point streak to five games. The winger now has goals in back-to-back games and has six points (3G, 3A) in his five-game run. Through 15 games this season, Wahlstrom has totaled eight points (4G, 4A).
ISLANDERS VS SABRES
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
5 Takeaways: Wahlstrom, Lee Power 2-1 Win Over Devils
United: Fans Around the Globe
TDIIH: Bossy Jersey Retired
Alumni Corner: Graeme Townshend
ISLANDERS VIDEO
Trotz Pregame: Coming Soon
Player Pregame: Coming Soon
Isles Fans in Brazil
GAME EXTRAS
Silent Auction
Buy Fan Cutouts
Fan Cutout Gallery
Hockey With a Heart
• With a secondary assist on Wahlstrom's goal, Leddy extended his point streak to five games, where the blueliner has totaled six assists in that span. Leddy's assist was also his team-best 14th of the season. Through 22 games, the 29-year-old has 15 points (1G, 1A). Leddy became the first defenseman in franchise history with at least 14 assists through the first 22 games since 2005-06, when Alexei Zhitnik did so with his 15.
• With the primary assist on Wahlstrom's goal, Pageau posted his 100th-career assist and has points in four of his last five games with four points (3G, 1A) during that span. Pageau has scored in all three meetings this season against the Sabres with a total of four points (3G, 1A). In total, the center has compiled 14 points (9G, 5A) through 22 games.
• Lee regained the team lead in goals as the Islanders captain potted his 10th goal of the season and 15th point (10G, 5A).
• With the secondary assist on Lee's goal, Mathew Barzal extended his lead in scoring to 19 points (8G, 11A).
• Varlamov improved his record to 10-4-3 as he made his 17th start of the season. The Russian netminder also took his first penalty as a member of the team, and his 12th penalty in his career. Varlamov has a 2.10 GAA, a .927 SV% and three shutouts. He was 13.2 seconds away from a fourth shutout on Tuesday night.
• Cal Clutterbuck drew back into the lineup in place of Leo Komarov after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. The winger returned to his usual line alongside Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas. Clutterbuck played 14:42 TOI had a shot, one block and one penalty.
• Josh Bailey surpassed Bobby Nystrom for the most career road games in franchise history as Bailey skated in his 445 road games. Only Bryan Trottier (564) and Denis Potvin (521) have appeared in more.
• While the Islanders won't have fans in the stands until later this month, New Jersey allowed 10% capacity (1,800) to be in attendance. It marked the first time in nearly a calendar year the Islanders played in front of fans since they last did so on March 10, 2020 in Vancouver.
• The Islanders are 9-1-2 when scoring first and are 3-5-2 when allowing the opening goal.

SABRES NOTES:
• The Sabres 6-11-3 this season and are 2-7-1 over their last 10 games.
• Reinhart scored his eighth goal of the season to overtake the Sabres goal-scoring lead. Reinhart is tied with Buffalo captain Jack Eichel for second in team scoring with 15 points and trails only Victor Olofsson (16) in points.
• Rieder scored his fourth goal and fourth point of the season through 18 games.
• Eichel played in his second-straight game on Tuesday after missing two prior games with a lower-body injury. Eichel posted an assist and now has 15 points (2G, 13A) tied with Reinhart for the second most among the squad.
• With the loss, Carter Hutton's record dropped to 1-6-1. The veteran netminder has a 3.18 GAA and a .891 SV%.
• The Sabres got a boost to their back end as Rasmus Ristolainen returned to the lineup on Feb. 27 after being sidelined due to COVID-19 protocol. The Islanders have not seen game action yet against the 26-year-old blueliner, who has scored seven points (2G, 5A) this season.
• Buffalo's power play is top-three in the NHL. Their 30.7% conversation rate is ranked the third best. In their series against the Islanders, the Sabres have scored two power-play goals through three games.
• Buffalo is tied with Philadelphia as the sixth-highest ranked team in FOW% at 52.7.
• Buffalo averages the third-fewest goals for per game in the NHL at 2.20.