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Islanders: 3 Players To Watch vs Sabres 5-3-21

By Matt O'Leary

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 01: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders (L) celebrates his goal at 16:22 of the first period against the New York Rangers and is joined by Anthony Beauvillier #18 (R) at the Nassau Coliseum on May 01, 2021 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 01: Mathew Barzal #13 of the New York Islanders (L) celebrates his goal at 16:22 of the first period against the New York Rangers and is joined by Anthony Beauvillier #18 (R) at the Nassau Coliseum on May 01, 2021 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The New York Islanders are back in action tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. So far this year, the Islanders are 6-0 against them and have scored five goals in three of their matchups. The moral of the story, the Isles offense comes alive against Buffalo.

With playoff positioning on the line, Buffalo comes at the perfect time for New York. Although, both games are on the road and we know that this team is significantly better on home ice.

Here are three players you should be watching for against the Sabres tonight:

Mathew Barzal

DraftKings: $5,900 | Fanduel: $6,500

Don’t look now but Mat Barzal is starting to get hot again. He’s got goals in back-to-back games against the Rangers and points in three of his last four. In six games against Buffalo this season, he has four points (1 goal, 3 assists).

It’s imperative for the Isles to get their best offensive player in gear heading into the playoffs. As of right now, it looks like he’s on track to do just that.

Anthony Beauvillier

DraftKings: $4,400 | Fanduel: $4,700

When he’s hot, he’s hot. Beauvillier is on one of those stretches where he looks unstoppable to close out this season. In the last four games, he has four goals including two in the 3-0 win over the Rangers.

So far, Beau only has two points against the Sabres but here’s the thing with him, past experiences go out the window. It’s all dependent on how hot he is at the time, and he’s scalding at the moment.

Ilya Sorokin

DraftKings: $8,500 | Fanduel: $7,900

I’m going to guess that Ilya Sorokin is net. The reason why I say guess is because Barry Trotz has trolled me numerous times after writing these by playing the other goalie. The good thing, I guess, is the Isles are riding two elite goalies at the moment.

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Outside of a clunker against Washington, Sorokin’s been phenomenal lately. In his last 10, he has a .924  save percentage and a 2.17 goals against average. On the season, he’s riding a formidable .918 sv% and a 2.19 GAA.

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