Sabres at Islanders | 5 things to know ahead of Saturday's game

NEW YORK – The Buffalo Sabres will play their first road game of the season Saturday against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m.

Here are five things to know ahead of tonight’s game.

1. The lineup

The Sabres will ice the same lineup from Thursday’s opener, including a second straight start in goal for Devon Levi.

2. Last time out

Buffalo dropped its opener 5-1 against the New York Rangers on Thursday. JJ Peterka scored the lone goal for the Sabres while Levi made 25 saves.

Read the recap from that game here.

3. Looking to rebound

The Rangers clogged the neutral zone with their 1-3-1 structure and blocked 23 of the Sabres’ shot attempts on Thursday. The Sabres will face a similar challenge in the Islanders, who allowed the fifth-fewest goals in the NHL last season and have a Vezina Trophy finalist in goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

Sabres coach Don Granato posed the matchup with the Islanders as an opportunity to adjust after digesting the loss in the opener.

“Two similar styles,” Granato said. “Go against a real stingy, strong defensive group. It’s a challenge that we need to address, and we need to go after, so I'm excited for them. I'm excited we're playing them and excited to get the season going.”

4. Game 2 for Benson

Zach Benson became the second-youngest player in franchise history to appear in a regular-season game when he made his NHL debut on Thursday. Saturday marks another milestone for the 18-year-old in the form of his first road game.

Granato came away impressed from Benson's debut.

“He's a gamer,” Granato said. “He's a competitive little guy that's hard. Reminds me in that regard of Alex DeBrincat, who I was with in Chicago during his rookie year. He was just a tough, tough player that you could not intimidate and he wasn't gonna go away. In fact, you probably are just inciting to do more.”

5. Scouting the Islanders

The Islanders are playing their first game of the season. They return the majority of their lineup from 2022-23, headlined by trade deadline acquisition Bo Horvat and fellow centerman Mathew Barzal. Horvat scored a career-high 38 goals last season; Barzal led the Islanders with four points in four preseason games.

Sorokin, who ranked third in the NHL with a .924 save percentage last season, will start in goal.