Game #67
New York Islanders (29-21-14) vs. Buffalo Sabres (31-30-5)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY
TV: MSG-B
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
New York Islanders
Record: 29-21-14 | 72 PTS
Last Game: 3-0 Loss vs. Los Angeles Kings
Division Ranking: 4th in Metropolitan Division
PP: 22.2% (13th)
PK: 72.2% (32nd)
What to Watch
1. Pride Night
Tonight marks the fourth annual “Pride Night” by the Sabres organization as they continue to honor and include the LGBTQIA+ community fans and allies. Throughout the night, coaches and members of the broadcast will sport Pride flag pins to show their support. Autographed pride pucks, jerseys, and “lucky row” giveaways will also be featured throughout the game in addition to face painting, glitter tattoos, and hair braiding for attendees. Auctions can be found at https://sabres.com/auction and proceeds will go to various local Pride charities such as Upstate NY Black & Latino Pride and Pride Center of WNY.
2. B-Squared Looking Solid
Bowen Byram and Zach Benson are on a tear lately and it has been fun to watch after a long, disappointing season in Buffalo. In their matchup against Detroit Tuesday night, Benson’s line – with Dylan Cozens and Jordan Greenway – tallied six total points. During Wednesday’s practice, head coach Don Granato made it clear that he plans to keep this line together for the foreseeable future. Benson in particular had one goal and two assists against the Red Wings and is averaging just under 15 minutes per game. Additionally, Bowen Byram has made quite an impression on Buffalo fans after being traded to the Sabres just last week. Since his tenure began, the lefthanded defenseman has accumulated four points in three games and is currently a +4. While the coaching has been questionable this season, fans should, at the very least, look forward to seeing more of this young star.
3. In the Playoff Hunt?
In an all-too-familiar circumstance, Buffalo finds themselves in almost the exact position they were in this time last year regarding the playoffs: from the outside looking in…with a microscopic hint of hope. Tonight marks the third and final matchup between the Sabres and the Islanders (each team took home a win earlier in the season) as the latter sits five points ahead in the standings and both teams fight for a Wild Card spot. If the Sabres win tonight, it will be their seventh consecutive home win (what are those?) against New York for the first time in history.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Jordan Greenway – Dylan Cozens – Zach Benson
Zemgus Girgensons – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jeff Skinner – Peyton Krebs – JJ Peterka
Eric Robinson – Tyson Jost – Victor Olofsson/Lukas Rousek
Defense
Bowen Byram – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson – Connor Clifton
Goaltenders: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (expected), Eric Comrie
New York Islanders
Forwards*
Brock Nelson – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Kyle Palmieri
Pierre Engvall – Casey Cizikas – Simon Holmstrom
Hudson Fasching – Kyle MacLean – Cal Clutterbuck
*Matt Martin is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Defense
Adam Pelech – Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov – Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly – Sebastian Aho
Goaltenders: Ilya Sorokin (confirmed), Semyon Varlamov