UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders at Sabres

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (35-32-10) AT BUFFALO SABRES (30-38-11)12:30 PM ET | KEYBANK CENTERWATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders look to win their penultimate road game of the season when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
The Islanders are coming off a 6-3 loss on home ice against the New York Rangers on Thursday. Brock Nelson scored twice in the loss, adding to his career-high 36 goals of the season. Josh Bailey also found the back of the net, but it wasn't enough to combat Andrew Copp's natural hat trick, along with supporting goals from Chris Kreider, Ryan Strome and Ryan Reaves.

The Sabres won their third straight game with a victory against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on Thursday. With back-to-back shorthanded goals, Kyle Okposo and Alex Tuch opened the scoring for Buffalo. Rasmus Dahlin extended the lead to 3-0, while Jeff Skinner (1G, 1A) also hit the scoresheet in the 5-2 victory, scoring and contributing the helper in Owen Power's first career NHL goal.
The Islanders are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games against Buffalo. In the past 10 seasons, the Islanders won eight and split two season series with the Sabres. The Islanders have not lost a season series to Buffalo since 2006-07.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders were without JG Pageau (COVID-19 protocol) and Anthony Beauvillier (upper body) in Thursday's loss against the Rangers. "We were missing a couple of key guys," said Head Coach Barry Trotz. "You see how important a guy like Pageau is… he's an important piece to us." Trotz did not reveal if either player will return to the lineup to face the Sabres.
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• Brock Nelson is the team leader in goals (36), scoring two in Thursday's 6-3 defeat. He tallied six points in his last five games played.
• Grant Hutton was reassigned to Bridgeport on Thursday. Hutton played 16 games with the Islanders this season, recording 22 total shots and 12 blocked shots. He scored his first career NHL goal on Apr. 9 against the St. Louis Blues.
• Mat Barzal has five points in his last six games. Barzal has recorded four points against the Sabres, including one goal and two assists in the Islanders 4-1 victory over the Sabres on Dec. 30 at UBS Arena. Barzal earned the first star of the game in the feat, returning to the lineup after missing three games on COVID-19 protocol.
• The 4-1 win over the Sabres on Dec. 30 also marked the 10th straight game the Islanders were able to beat the Sabres on home ice, spanning from Apr. 9, 2016.
• Anders Lee (26G, 17A) scored in both matchups against the Sabres this season. In his career, Lee put up 18 points in 26 games played (14G, 4A).
• The Islanders are 3-for-6 on the power play in their last three games (50.0%), ranking second in the NHL since Apr. 16.

SABRES NOTES:

• Although eliminated from playoff contention, the Sabres have picked up the pace as of late. Since Mar. 18, the Sabres have a record of 10-5-3. Their power play ranks third in the NHL in that span (31.8%).
• Heading into their matchup with the Islanders with a three-game win streak, the Sabres are looking for a potential season-high fourth win in a row. Buffalo held a three-game win streak three separate instances this season.
• Rasmus Dahlin is riding a three-game point streak (2G, 4A) and leads the Sabres in assists (40).
• Tage Thompson tallied points in his last five games (4G, 3A), leading the team in goals (36), matching Brock Nelson's total goals on the season. Thompson recorded his 100th career point in Thursday's matchup against New Jersey.
• Victor Olofsson has points in three straight games for Buffalo (2G, 4A), including a three-point performance in Buffalo's 5-2 win over the Devils on Thursday.
• With 297 NHL career goals, Jeff Skinner is on the brink of reaching the 300 mark. Skinner's 32 goals this year are his most since the 2018-19 season. The winger is currently riding a three-game point streak with five points (1G, 4A) over that span. In his 40 games against the Islanders his career, Skinner recorded 21 points (11G, 10A).
• Buffalo's power play ranks 13th in the NHL (29.1%) and they are 6-for-13 in their last five games.