Game Preview: Islanders vs Sabres

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (13-14-7) VS BUFFALO SABRES (11-19-4)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are looking to go into the holiday break on a high note, when they host the Buffalo Sabres at UBS Arena.

The Islanders are coming off a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena. Bo Horvat led the Islanders with a three-point game (1G, 2A), while Isaiah George’s first NHL goal held up as the game-winner.

The Sabres are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, dropping them to 0-10-3 in their last 13 games. JJ Peterka scored the lone goal for Buffalo in the loss, while James Reimer stopped 16-of-18 shots.

SEASON SERIES:

The Islanders lead the season series 2-0 after a pair of victories on Nov. 1 and Nov. 30 respectively. In the most recent meeting, Ilya Sorokin stopped all 29 shots he saw for his first shutout of the season.

The Islanders are 13-1-0 in their last 14 home games against the Sabres.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

The Islanders iced the same formation at Monday's morning skate, suggesting no changes from Saturday's win.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the expected starter for the Sabres. Luukkonen is 8-11-3 this season with a 3.12 GAA and an .892 SV%, but did not play against the Islanders in either of the first two meetings. Luukkonen is 2-1-0 lifetime against the Isles.

Rasmus Dahlin is expected to return to the Sabres lineup tonight after missing eight of the past nine games with back spasms.

ISLES NOTES:

- Horvat is red hot, with eight points (4G, 4A) in his last seven games. The Islanders center has four goals in his last six games after busting out of a 13-game goal drought. Horvat has centered a new-look line with Max Tsyplakov and Simon Holmstrom for the past two games and the line combined for six points (2G, 4A) against Toronto and 13 shots on goal over the past two contests.

- Ilya Sorokin stopped 26-of-29 shots against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Sorokin has started 10 straight games – a career-long – with Semyon Varlamov on long term injured reserve. Sorokin has allowed three-or-more goals in each of his past four starts. Sorokin’s next win will tie Kelly Hrudey (106 wins) for fourth on the franchise’s all-time list.

- Anthony Duclair returned to the Islanders lineup on Saturday night after missing 28 games with a lower body injury. Duclair suited up on a line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri and recorded an assist.

- The Islanders scored first on Saturday, snapping a streak of eight games where they allowed the opening goal. The Islanders improved to 6-3-4 when scoring the first goal of the game and are 5-1-0 when scoring multiple first period goals.

- When Mathew Barzal (317 assists) records his next assist, he will move past Stefan Persson and into sole possession of 10^th place on the Islanders all-time list.

SABRES NOTES:

- The Sabres have struggled as late, currently embroiled on a 13-game winless streak (0-10-3) with Buffalo’s last win coming on Nov. 23. It is the third-longest single-season winless streak in franchise history, per ESPN, trailing an 18-game streak in 2020-21 and a 14-game streak in 2014-15. Since Nov. 27, the Sabres have allowed a league-high 4.08 goals per game.

- The Sabres power play has struggled during their winless streak, going 3-for-36 (8.3%), though Buffalo did score on the man advantage on Saturday in Boston. Buffalo’s power play has converted at 14.1% on the season, ranking 30^th overall. The Sabres are 1-for-6 (16.7%) against the Islanders this season.

- Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin was a scratch from Saturday’s lineup. Dahlin had previously missed seven straight games with back spasms before returning to the lineup on Friday for the first half of a back-to-back. Dahlin has 19 points (6G, 13A) in 26 games this season.

- Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 16 goals and is tied with Alex Tuch with 25 points this season. Thompson has seven points (5G, 2A) during the 13-game slide, while Tuch as four (2G, 2A).

- Peterka holds the hot hand for the Sabres, with six points (2G, 4A) during a four-game point streak. Peterka is second on the team with 10 goals and is third on the team with 24 points.