Islanders Gameday: Holiday Appetizer Vs Sabres; Lines & How to Watch

EAST MEADOW, NY — The New York Islanders (13-14-7) welcome in the Buffalo Sabres (11-19-4) on the eve of Christmas Eve in UBS Arena on Monday night.

The Islanders enter victors after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 on Saturday night. That game marked the first time the Islanders had a full-strength forward core since the fifth game of the season against Montreal.

Isaiah George scored his first NHL Goal in the win, courtesy of a perfect pass from Anthony Duclair to set it up. Bo Horvat and Maxim Tsyplakov continued their strong chemistry, while Mathew Barzal scored his second empty-netter. As Head Coach Patrick Roy said this morning, it was a fun game to coach.

That’s the blueprint for the Islanders’ success. They didn’t take any penalties while dictating their terms at 5-on-5. One thing they’ve struggled to do, however, is string wins together. Tonight, they have an opportunity to win two straight games for the third time this season.

As for the visiting Buffalo Sabres, they’ve been all over every headline for all the wrong seasons. The Sabres last won a game on November 23 against the San Jose Sharks. Since then, the team has gone 0-10-3. They’ve lost six straight games in regulation. They’re about as low as any team can sink to at the moment and are desperate for something to go their way.

The Islanders are 2-0-0 against the Sabres this year. First, they won 4-3 in Buffalo when the entire left side of their defense suffered in-game injuries. More recently, they shut out the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 in UBS Arena on November 30.

Islanders Lines:

Forwards

Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Anthony Duclair – Brock Nelson – Kyle Palmieri

Maxim Tsyplakov – Bo Horvat – Simon Holmstrom

Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Hudson Fasching

Defense

Alexander Romanov – Noah Dobson

Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock

Isaiah George – Scott Mayfield

Goalies: Ilya Sorokin

Sabres Lines:

Forwards

Jason Zucker – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

J.J. Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Peyton Krebs – Jiri Kulich – Zach Benson

Beck Malenstyn – Ryan McLeod – Sam Lafferty

Defense

Rasmus Dahlin – Bowen Byram

Mattias Samuelsson – Owen Power

Jacob Bryson – Connor Clifton

Goalies: Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen

Special Teams:

Islanders Power Play: 12.1%, 32nd. Islanders Penalty Kill: 64.3, 32nd.

Sabres Power Play: 14.1%, 30th. Sabres Penalty Kill: 76.8, 24th.

How to Watch:

TV: MSGSN, ESPN+ Out of Market

Radio: 88.7 (FM)  WRHU