Game Preview: Islanders vs Sabres

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (32-25-8) VS BUFFALO SABRES (32-26-4)
7:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: ESPN+ | HULU
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The New York Islanders go head-to-head with a team directly chasing them in the wild card standing as they host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.
The Islanders are coming off a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. The offense for New York exploded in the third frame, with four unanswered goals from Zach Parise, Anders Lee (2G) and Kyle Palmieri (PPG) after falling behind 1-0. A regulation win against Detroit was especially important, as the Islanders are now seven points ahead of the Red Wings, effectively negating Detroit's two games in hand.

"That was a big win against a team that are chasing us," Hudson Fasching said on Monday. "We have more teams that are chasing us that are coming up here, so it's big to keep that momentum going."
The Sabres are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. Jeff Skinner and Dylan Cozens scored for Buffalo, but Connor McDavid scored a pair of goals - including the game-winner - while Derek Ryan rounded out the scoring.
The Sabres loss benefitted the Islanders, since Buffalo (68 points) holds three games in hand on the Islanders (72 points). The Islanders are currently in the first wild card position in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders got a second positive result, as Ottawa (68 points) suffered a setback at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks. Ottawa holds two games in hand on the Islanders.
The Islanders dropped the first game of the season series in overtime to Buffalo 3-2 on Jan. 19, but picked up a point in the loss. The Islanders have a record of 13-5-2 over the last five seasons against the Sabres.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau participated in practice on Monday after missing nine games with an upper-body injury, but remains on the team's IR list.
• The Islanders have a big week ahead of them, facing Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Washington in their next three games - all teams in the hunt for a wild card in the Eastern Conference.
"They're big games and points, but they're all big this time of year," Noah Dobson said. "We just have to focus playing our game and good results will follow."
• The Islanders have outscored opponents 13-0 in third periods over their last eight games, establishing a trend of solid performances in the final 20 minutes.
"We've continued to stick with it and continue to play the right way," Head Coach Lane Lambert said of his team's ability to finish in the third. "And eventually we break through."
• Pierre Engvall is set to play his second game with the Islanders on Tuesday night, after debuting with the team on Saturday. The Islanders' newest acquisition took five shots (two on goal, one attempted, two missed) and recorded a giveaway in his debut, but is also fitting in with the team off the ice.
"He came in and adjusted well," Brock Nelson said of Engvall. "He's going out there and working hard, he's definitely going to be a big part of our team."
• Ilya Sorokin allowed one goal or fewer for the 18th time of the season on Saturday. The 27-year-old netminder sports a .926 SV%, which ranks third the league among goalies who played at least 25 games.
ISLES VS SABRES
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
3 Takeaways: Isles 4, Red Wings 1
Isles Children's Book
Isles Confident in Group
Prospect Report: Mar 6, 2023
Isles DTD: Pageau Practices
Talkin' Isles: Freddy Meyer
GAME EXTRAS
Become a Season Ticket Member
Race to the Rink
Reverse Retro Jersey
Talkin' Isles
Isles History
• With the opening goal on Saturday, Zach Parise buried his 16th goal of the season, eclipsing last season's 15 goals through 82 games for the Islanders.
• The Islanders have been stifling their opponent's offense lately, allowing eight total goals over their last six games (averaging 1.33 GA/GP).

SABRES NOTES:

• Jordan Greenway made his Sabres debut on Monday night. Greenway was acquired by Buffalo from Minnesota on Friday for a second-round pick in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024. Greenway played 12:07 on a line with Zemgus Girgensons and Kyle Okposo, recording a shot and three hits.
• With an assist on Monday, Tage Thompson upped his team-leading point total to 83 (42G, 41A). Thompson has 14 points (7G, 7A) in his last 10 games, picking up points in nine of those 10 games. Thompson is having a career-year and is currently fifth overall in league scoring.
• With Craig Anderson starting vs Edmonton, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the likely starter vs the Islanders. Luukkonen is 15-9-2 this season with a 3.63 GAA and a .892 SV%. Luukkonen has allowed four or more goals in five of his last six starts, but did stop 24-of-26 shots in a 3-2 win over the Islanders on Jan. 19.
• Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has set new career-highs in goals (14), assists (49) and points (63) in his fifth NHL season.
• The Sabres are 19-9-2 on the road this season.
• The Sabres average 3.71 goals per game, which ranks third in the NHL.