NY Islanders return home for matinee showdown with the upstart Buffalo Sabres

The New York Islanders return home Saturday afternoon to host the Buffalo Sabres, looking to regroup after closing a seven-game road trip with a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

New York finished the trip 3-3-1. Anthony Duclair scored the Islanders’ lone goal Thursday on the power play, and Ilya Sorokin made 21 saves on 24 shots in the loss. The Islanders now open a brief homestand against one of the NHL’s hottest teams.

A key boost could come from the return of center Bo Horvat, who is expected to rejoin the lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury sustained Jan. 1 against Utah. Horvat practiced Friday for the first time since the injury and said he feels ready.

“It felt really good to be back with the guys and back in a regular routine practice,” Horvat said. “It was lonely back here skating by yourself and stuff and hopefully be good to go tomorrow.”

Head coach Patrick Roy said the plan is for Horvat to play Saturday. New York went 5-3-1 without him.

“He’s our top goal scorer, he’s playing PK, power play and wins big face-offs,” Roy said. “It’s nice to see that there’s always a player that comes out and gets the big goals or a big play for us. That speaks volumes of who we are as a team right now.”

Horvat leads the Islanders with 21 goals and ranks third on the team with 33 points. His return adds depth to a lineup that has leaned heavily on Duclair, who has eight goals in his last eight games and three power-play goals in his last four contests.

Ryan Pulock is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after missing Friday’s practice. The defenseman leads the Islanders with 93 blocked shots and has 21 points this season.

Buffalo arrives riding a 17-3-1 stretch over its last 21 games and sits fourth in the Atlantic Division. The Sabres beat Montreal 4-2 on Thursday and have won two straight. Tage Thompson has 26 goals on the season, and Buffalo owns one of the league’s top penalty kills at 83.2%.

The Islanders will try to counter Buffalo’s surge by getting healthy at the right time — and by welcoming back one of their most important pieces.