Islanders host the Sabres after Nelson's 2-goal game

ESPN logo
Saturday, March 25, 2023

Buffalo Sabres (34-31-6, sixth in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Islanders (37-27-9, fourth in the Metropolitan Division)

Elmont, New York; Saturday, 5 p.m. EDT

: Islanders -179, Sabres +152; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres after Brock Nelson's two-goal game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Islanders' 5-4 overtime loss.

New York has a 37-27-9 record overall and a 21-12-3 record in home games. The Islanders have gone 31-6-4 when scoring at least three goals.

Buffalo is 34-31-6 overall and 20-11-3 on the road. The Sabres have conceded 265 goals while scoring 255 for a -10 scoring differential.

The matchup Saturday is the third time these teams meet this season. The Sabres won 3-2 in overtime in the last matchup. Alex Tuch led the Sabres with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bo Horvat has 36 goals and 28 assists for the Islanders. Kyle Palmieri has four goals and six assists over the last 10 games.

Tage Thompson has 44 goals and 45 assists for the Sabres. John-Jason Peterka has one goal and seven assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 6-2-2, averaging 3.6 goals, 5.5 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.

Sabres: 2-6-2, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.5 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up 4.7 goals per game.

INJURIES: Islanders: Josh Bailey: day to day (illness), Brock Nelson: day to day (leg), Mathew Barzal: out (lower body), Sebastian Aho: day to day (upper body), Oliver Wahlstrom: out (lower body).

Sabres: Jordan Greenway: day to day (upper body), Eric Comrie: out (lower body), Mattias Samuelsson: out (upper body), Vinnie Hinostroza: day to day (personal reasons).

------

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.