Game Preview: NY Islanders vs. Buffalo Sabres

Coming off their dominant 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, the NY Islanders look to keep their winning ways going as they get ready to welcome the Buffalo Sabres to the UBS Arena. This is the second of four very important games for the Islanders, as they face off with teams who are right behind them in wildcard contention.

Last Game

Last game, the Islanders defeated the Red Wings, 4-1. Dylan Larkin was able to give the Red Wings the 1-0 lead in the second period, but in the third period, it was all Islanders. Goals by Zach Parise, Kyle Palmieri, and the captain Anders Lee, who would pick up two goals in the third period.

On the other side of things, the Sabres last played on Monday night when they welcomed the Edmonton Oilers to Buffalo. Jeff Skinner and Dylan Cozens would each pick up goals in the game, but the Sabres would ultimately fall to the Oilers off of a two-goal performance by who many consider to be the best in the league, Connor McDavid.

Historical Matchup

The Islanders and Sabres have only played each other once before tonight's game. The first time these two teams played came back on January 19th when the Islanders lost to Buffalo, 3-2, in an overtime thriller. Brock Nelson would start the Islanders off in the middle of the first period, giving them the 1-0 lead off an assist from Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey.

The Sabres would counter back with a goal of their own as Alex Tuch scored in the middle of the second period off an assist from Rasmus Dahlin and Jeff Skinner. Matt Martin and Victor Olofsson each picked up a goal for their respective teams, forcing overtime. The dagger would come from Dylan Cozens just 12 seconds into overtime, to pick up the victory for Buffalo.

Players to Watch

For the Islanders, the player to watch is Brock Nelson. Over the course of the last five games, Nelson has picked up a point in all but one game. Over the course of those games, Nelson has picked up one goal, and three assists. Nelson is one of the Islanders' brightest spots of the season, showing that he can not only put the puck in the net but find open teammates for them to put the puck in the net.

For the Sabres, Tage Thompson has been one of the most dangerous players on the Buffalo team. Over the course of the past five games, Thompson has picked up three goals and two assists. He is not only someone who can find open teammates with ease but also leads his team in goals with 42 on the year.

Projected Lines

Islanders

Anders Lee- Bo Horvat- Pierre Engvall Zach Parise- Brock Nelson- Kyle Palmieri Matt Martin- Casey Cizikas- Hudson Fasching Simon Holmstrom- Otto Koivula- Josh Bailey

Adam Pelech- Scott Mayfield Alexander Romanov- Ryan Pulock Sebastian Aho- Noah Dobson

Ilya Sorokin Semyon Varlamov

Sabres

Jeff Skinner- Tage Thompson- Jack Quinn Casey Mittelstadt- Dylan Cozens- Vinnie Hinnostroza John Jason Peterka- Peyton Krebs- Victor Olofsson Jordan Greenway- Zemgus Girgensons- Kyle Okposo

Rasmus Dahlin- Kale Clague Owen Power- Henri Jokiharju Jacob Bryson- Ilya Lyubushkin

Eric Comrie Craig Anderson