NHL

Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders

· National Hockey League

Islanders host the Sabres in Eastern Conference play

Buffalo Sabres (28-17-5, in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Islanders (27-18-5, in the Metropolitan Division)

Elmont, New York; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres face off in Eastern Conference play.

New York is 14-8-2 at home and 27-18-5 overall. The Islanders have a 19-2-3 record when scoring three or more goals.

Buffalo has gone 12-11-2 in road games and 28-17-5 overall. The Sabres have a 26-4-4 record when scoring at least three goals.

The matchup Saturday is the second time these teams square off this season. The Sabres won 3-2 in a shootout in the previous meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Matthew Schaefer has scored 13 goals with 21 assists for the Islanders. Anthony Duclair has eight goals and two assists over the last 10 games.

Rasmus Dahlin has seven goals and 29 assists for the Sabres. Tage Thompson has scored six goals with nine assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 5-4-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.1 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.

Sabres: 7-2-1, averaging 4.2 goals, 6.9 assists, four penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.

INJURIES: Islanders: None listed.

Sabres: None listed.

Regular Season Series

BUF leads series 1-0

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/buf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBUF https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/nyi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNYI
3.10 Goals Against Average 2.72
29.8 Shots Against per Game 28.3
83.2 Penalty Kill Percentage 82.1
23 Power Play Goals Against 25
0 Short Handed Goals Against 0
3.28 Goals For per Game 2.84
27.6 Shots per Game 27.8
28 Power Play Goals 24
19.0 Power Play Percentage 15.9
7 Short Handed Goals 6
448 Penalty Minutes 416
New York Islanders New York Islanders Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Bo Horvat, C Day-To-Day Jan 22
Kyle Palmieri, C Injured Reserve Nov 30
Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Zach Benson, LW Day-To-Day Jan 22
Jacob Bryson, D Out Jan 22
Josh Norris, C Injured Reserve Jan 19
Josh Dunne, C Injured Reserve Jan 15

Game Information

UBS Arena

Location: Elmont, NY
Capacity:

2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Detroit 5 16 67 31
Tampa Bay 4 13 66 31
Montreal 7 16 63 28
Buffalo 5 17 61 28
Boston 2 20 60 29
Toronto 9 17 57 24
Florida 3 20 55 26
Ottawa 7 20 53 23

2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 5 15 67 31
Pittsburgh 11 14 61 25
NY Islanders 5 18 59 27
Philadelphia 9 17 55 23
New Jersey 2 22 54 26
Washington 6 21 54 24
Columbus 7 20 53 23
NY Rangers 6 24 48 21
Full Standings
Sabres Last 5
Date OPP Result
vs MTL W 5-3
vs MIN L 5-4 OT
@ CAR L 2-1
@ NSH W 5-3
@ MTL W 4-2
Islanders Last 5
Date OPP Result
@ WPG L 5-4
@ EDM W 1-0
@ CGY L 4-2
@ VAN W 4-3
@ SEA L 4-1