The New York Islanders (+100) are on the road to face the Buffalo Sabres (-120) at KeyBank Center on Thursday. The total is 6 (O: -105, U: -115)New York (23-19-4) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a 4-1 loss against the Bruins yesterday.
The Islanders committed four penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Zach Parise scored the only goal for the Islanders. Semyon Varlamov saved only 20 of 24 shots against (.833%) in the loss. Buffalo (21-19-3) fell 4-3 (OT) to the Blackhawks on Tuesday.
Victor Olofsson, Tage Thompson, and Peyton Krebs scored one apiece for the Sabres. Craig Anderson saved only 22 of 26 shots against (.846%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Sabres won two of the three games between the teams last season, including a 5-3 victory in their final meeting in April. Thompson (1G 1A), Jeff Skinner (1G 1A), and Olofsson (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Buffalo. Noah Dobson led New York with two points (1G 1A). Dustin Tokarski got the win despite saving only 19 of 22 shots (.863%).
FACING OFF
New York is averaging 2.98 goals per game for the season, 24th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Sabres team that is allowing 3.49 goals a game (24th). Meanwhile, Buffalo has found the net 3.77 times a game on average, second in the league, and the Islanders are allowing opponents to score 2.72 goals per game (8th).
The Sabres’ 26.75% power play percentage ranks sixth in the league, while the Islanders are 27th with a conversion rate of 17.04%. When it comes to penalty killing, New York has the league’s sixth-ranked PK% at 82.48%, while Buffalo is 26th at 73.53%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 41 and 39 points this season, Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson have been the top skaters for the Islanders. In the net, Ilya Sorokin (15-14-3) is New York’s top goaltender. He has a 2.30 GAA, fifth-best in the league, and a .925% save percentage, fourth-best.
Thompson leads the Sabres in scoring with 59 points (6th in the league). He has 32 goals (3rd in the league) and 27 assists in 43 games. Anderson (7-6-2) has the best goals against average for Buffalo at 2.78. He has a save percentage of .917%.
HOME AND AWAY
New York is 10-11-2 away from home this season. Buffalo is looking to reverse a four-game losing run at KeyBank Center this season. Meanwhile, the Islanders are 5-3 without a day off and 3-3 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Sabres are 5-2 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NY Islanders
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
