Offense meets defense at UBS Arena on Tuesday as the explosive Buffalo Sabres (+140) are on the road to face the suffocating New York Islanders (-165).
The total is 6.5 (O: -115, U: -105)Buffalo (32-26-4) is playing on back-to-back days after suffering a 3-2 loss against the Oilers yesterday. The Sabres committed only one penalty in the game, holding Edmonton without a power play goal.
Jeff Skinner and Dylan Cozens both scored once for the Sabres. Craig Anderson saved 34 of 37 shots in the loss. New York (32-25-8) beat the Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday. Anders Lee was the leading goal scorer for the Islanders, netting twice. Ilya Sorokin saved 22 of 23 shots in the win (.956%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Sabres won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 3-2 (OT) victory in January, their third straight win against New York. Rasmus Dahlin led Buffalo with two points (0G 2A). Brock Nelson and Matt Martin were on the scoresheet for New York. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got the win, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923%).
FACING OFF
Buffalo is averaging 3.71 goals per game for the season, third in the NHL. The visitors will face a difficult test against an Islanders team that is allowing only 2.65 goals a game (5th). Meanwhile, New York has found the net 2.89 times a game on average, 24th in the league, and the Sabres are allowing opponents to score 3.55 goals per game (24th).
The Sabres’ 25.36% power play percentage is the third-best in the league, while the Islanders rank 29th with a conversion rate of just 16.67%. While efficient on the power play, Buffalo has been less successful at penalty killing, as the away team owns the league’s second-lowest PK% at 72.63%. New York’s 82.35% ranks seventh in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 83 points this season, fifth-most in the NHL, Tage Thompson is the top skater for the Sabres. He is among the league leaders with 42 goals (3rd) and has added 41 assists. In the net, Anderson (9-8-2) is Buffalo’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.77 GAA and a .918% save percentage.
Luukkonen (15-9-2) leads the Sabres in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.63 and a save percentage of .891%.Nelson leads the Islanders in scoring with 61 points.
He has 27 goals and 34 assists in 65 games. Sorokin (21-18-6) has the best goals against average for New York at 2.34. He has a save percentage of .925%, third-best in the league.
HOME AND AWAY
Buffalo is 19-9-2 on the road this season. New York is 19-11-3 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Sabres are 3-7 without a day off and 3-4 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Islanders are 3-6 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NY Islanders (-175)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
