Post-Game Talk: #15|New York Islanders @ Buffalo Sabres | February 16th | 7:00 | F/W 3-0

[MattMartin]

Game Preview: Islanders @ Sabres
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NEW YORK ISLANDERS (7-4-3) AT BUFFALO SABRES (4-5-2)
7PM | KEYBANK CENTER
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM| 103.9FM | 1050AM
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After a decisive 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, the New York Islanders look to sweep their back-to-back set when the teams rematch on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center.


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ISLANDERS NOTES:​

- Monday marked the first time in the Islanders' 3,746-game history the Islanders held a team without a shot on goal for an entire period. The Islanders held the Sabres without a shot for the final 23:06 of the game.

- Mathew Barzal extended his career-long point streak to nine games with an assist on Monday night. Barzal has 11 points (4G, 7A) on his nine-game run, two games longer than his previous career-high.

- JG Pageau extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with a first period tally on Monday night. Pageau's goal was a beauty, as the center went over the shoulder short side on Linus Ullmark. The goal was Pageau's fourth in his past three games, as Head Coach Barry Trotz said the center has regained his edge and is looking closer to his playoff form from over the summer.

- Brock Nelson busted out of a nine-goal goal drought on Monday night, redirecting a power-play goal in the second period. Nelson's goal was his third of the season and first since Jan. 21 vs New Jersey. Nelson is currently riding a two-game point streak and recorded his 300th career point on Saturday with an assist vs the Penguins.

- The Islanders power play scored for a third-straight game on Monday night. The Islanders went 1-for-2 with the man advantage and are 4-for-6 in their past five games. Monday also marked the first time the Islanders generated more than one power-play opportunity over that span.

- Semyon Varlamov stopped 20-of-21 in the win. Ilya Sorokin could see action on Tuesday on the second night of a back-to-back set. If Sorokin plays, it'll be the Russian's first action since a 4-3 OT loss on Jan. 31 in Philadelphia. Sorokin is 0-2-1 with a 3.65 GAA and a .871 SV%.

- Anthony Beauvillier is close to returning for the Islanders, Trotz told reporters ahead of Monday's game. Check back for Beauvillier's status on Tuesday. The Islanders forward has been out since Jan. 24 with a lower-body injury.

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SABRES NOTES:​

- Buffalo returned to action for the first time in two weeks on Monday, as the Sabres were forced to postpone games due to COVID protocols. The 14-day break was the fifth-longest in team history and first break of such length not related to the Olympics.

While the team was deemed ready to play by the NHL, the Sabres were not at full strength, with seven players: Dylan Cozens; Curtis Lazar; Jake McCabe; Casey Mittelstadt; Brandon Montour and Rasmus Ristolainen still on the COVID protocol list.

- Victor Olofsson extended his point streak to seven games on Monday night, netting a power-play goal in the first period. Olofsson has eight points (3G, 5A) over that span and leaads the Sabres with five goals this season. Since making his NHL debut on March 28, 2019, Olofsson's 17 power-play goals are third in the NHL over than span, trailing David Pastrnak (22) and Leon Draisaitl (20).

- With a power-play goal, the Sabres have scored on the man advantage in six straight games. Buffalo is 10-for-24 (41.6%) over that span.

- Jeff Skinner played on the Sabres top line on Monday night, skating alongside Jack Eichel and Olofsson. Skinner has one assist in 11 games this season.

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Possible Starting Goalies:​

Ilya Sorokin

Player	GP	GS	W	L	T	OT	SA	GA	GAA	S	SV%	SO	MIN
Semyon Varlamov	11	11	7	2	0	2	305	21	1.89	284	.931	3	665
Ilya Sorokin	3	3	0	2	0	1	85	11	3.65	74	.871	0	182

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Carter Hutton

Player	GP	GS	W	L	T	OT	SA	GA	GAA	S	SV%	SO	MIN
Linus Ullmark	7	7	3	2	0	2	216	19	2.63	197	.912	0	434
Carter Hutton	4	4	1	3	0	0	105	11	3.04	94	.895	0	217
Jonas Johansson	1	0	0	0	0	0	9	1	3.16	8	.889	0	20

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Player Stats:​

Islanders
Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	PPP	SHG	SHP	GWG	OTG	S	S%	FO%
Mathew Barzal	14	6	9	15	4	24	1	4	0	0	1	0	32	18.8	51.38
Jordan Eberle	14	6	3	9	0	6	1	3	0	0	1	0	39	15.4	100
Anders Lee	14	5	3	8	4	4	3	4	0	0	1	0	48	10.4	48.75
Jean-Gabriel Pageau	14	5	3	8	3	2	1	3	1	1	2	0	25	20	57.69
Nick Leddy	14	1	6	7	-5	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	24	4.2	0
Brock Nelson	14	3	3	6	-5	6	3	3	0	0	1	0	27	11.1	46.88
Josh Bailey	14	1	5	6	-1	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	27	3.7	53.33
Noah Dobson	14	1	5	6	-1	4	0	3	0	0	0	0	28	3.6	0
Cal Clutterbuck	14	1	4	5	-3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	8.3	0
Ryan Pulock	14	0	5	5	6	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	26	0	0
Casey Cizikas	14	3	1	4	-3	6	0	0	0	0	1	0	18	16.7	56.46
Matt Martin	14	1	2	3	-1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	5.6	0
Scott Mayfield	14	1	2	3	-5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	4.8	0
Adam Pelech	14	0	3	3	3	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	22	0	0
Oliver Wahlstrom	7	1	1	2	3	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	15	6.7	66.67
Leo Komarov	8	0	2	2	0	5	0	0	0	1	0	0	8	0	40
Michael Dal Colle	7	0	2	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Anthony Beauvillier	5	0	1	1	-2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
Andy Greene	14	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0	0
Ross Johnston	6	0	0	0	-2	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	33.33

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Sabres
Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	PPP	SHG	SHP	GWG	OTG	S	S%	FO%
Victor Olofsson	11	5	6	11	-6	0	4	9	0	0	0	0	33	15.2	0
Jack Eichel	11	2	9	11	-7	2	1	7	0	0	1	0	41	4.9	53.68
Taylor Hall	11	1	8	9	-7	4	1	5	0	0	0	0	30	3.3	0
Sam Reinhart	9	3	4	7	-9	0	2	4	0	0	1	0	22	13.6	50
Rasmus Ristolainen	10	2	4	6	2	6	1	4	0	0	0	0	20	10	0
Eric Staal	11	3	2	5	-5	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	19	15.8	56.9
Rasmus Dahlin	11	1	3	4	-10	4	1	4	0	0	0	0	33	3	0
Tobias Rieder	11	3	0	3	-1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	17.6	0
Dylan Cozens	9	2	1	3	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	9	22.2	56.25
Colin Miller	11	1	2	3	-8	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	14	7.1	0
Jake McCabe	10	1	2	3	2	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	8.3	0
Riley Sheahan	11	1	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	25	62.34
Brandon Montour	10	0	2	2	-6	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	0	0
Henri Jokiharju	8	1	0	1	-3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	14.3	0
Cody Eakin	11	0	1	1	-2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	57.42
Jeff Skinner	11	0	1	1	-1	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	0	50
Tage Thompson	6	0	1	1	-2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0	50
Matt Irwin	4	0	1	1	-2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	0
Casey Mittelstadt	2	0	1	1	-1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	66.67
Kyle Okposo	6	0	0	0	-1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Rasmus Asplund	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
Brandon Davidson	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
Steven Fogarty	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
William Borgen	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0

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Last Game Lineups:

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Islanders
LW	C	RW
ANDERS LEE Goals: 5 Assists: 3	MATHEW BARZAL Goals: 6 Assists: 9	JOSH BAILEY Goals: 1 Assists: 5
MICHAEL DAL COLLE Goals: 0 Assists: 2	BROCK NELSON Goals: 3 Assists: 3	JORDAN EBERLE Goals: 6 Assists: 3
LEO KOMAROV Goals: 0 Assists: 2	JEAN-GABRIEL PAGEAU Goals: 5 Assists: 3	OLIVER WAHLSTROM Goals: 1 Assists: 1
MATT MARTIN Goals: 1 Assists: 2	CASEY CIZIKAS Goals: 3 Assists: 1	CAL CLUTTERBUCK Goals: 1 Assists: 4

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DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS	Defense
ADAM PELECH Goals: 0 Assists: 3	RYAN PULOCK Goals: 0 Assists: 5
NICK LEDDY Goals: 1 Assists: 6	SCOTT MAYFIELD Goals: 1 Assists: 2
ANDY GREENE Goals: 0 Assists: 0	NOAH DOBSON Goals: 1 Assists: 5

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Current Team Injuries:
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PLAYER	POSITION	UPDATED	INJURY	INJURY STATUS
Anthony Beauvillier	LW	Mon, Feb 15	Lower Body	Beauvillier is considered a game time decision for Monday's matchup against the Sabres.
Johnny Boychuk	D	Wed, Nov 25	Eye	IR. Expected to be out until at least Jun 1, 2022

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Sabres
JEFF SKINNER Goals: 0 Assists: 1	JACK EICHEL Goals: 2 Assists: 9	VICTOR OLOFSSON Goals: 5 Assists: 6
TAYLOR HALL Goals: 1 Assists: 8	ERIC STAAL Goals: 3 Assists: 2	SAM REINHART Goals: 3 Assists: 4
TOBIAS RIEDER Goals: 3 Assists: 0	CODY EAKIN Goals: 0 Assists 1	KYLE OKPOSO Goals: 0 Assists 0
STEVEN FOGARTY Goals: 0 Assists: 0	RILEY SHEAHAN Goals: 1 Assists: 1	TAGE THOMPSON Goals: 0 Assists: 1

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RASMUS DAHLIN Goals: 1 Assists: 3	COLIN MILLER Goals: 1 Assists: 2
MATT IRWIN Goals: 0 Assists: 1	HENRI JOKIHARJU Goals: 1 Assists: 0
BRANDON DAVIDSON Goals: 0 Assists: 0	WILLIAM BORGEN Goals: 0 Assists: 0

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Current Team Injuries:

PLAYER	POSITION	UPDATED	INJURY	INJURY STATUS
Casey Mittelstadt	C	Mon, Feb 8	Covid-19	Expected to be out until at least Feb 15
Dylan Cozens	C	Mon, Feb 8	Covid-19	Expected to be out until at least Feb 15
Rasmus Ristolainen	D	Mon, Feb 8	Covid-19	Expected to be out until at least Feb 15
Jake McCabe	D	Mon, Feb 8	Covid-19	Day-to-Day
Brandon Montour	D	Mon, Feb 8	Covid-19	Day-to-Day
Curtis Lazar	RW	Mon, Feb 8	Covid-19	Expected to be out until at least Feb 15
Zemgus Girgensons	C	Thu, Jan 7	Hamstring	IR. Expected to be out until at least Jul 6

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Standings:​

MassMutual East	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	P%	RW	ROW	GF	GA	DIFF	HOME	AWAY	S/O	L10	STRK
1 Boston	14	10	2	2	22	.786	5	8	42	30	+12	4-0-0	6-2-2	2-0	8-1-1	L1
2 Philadelphia	13	8	3	2	18	.692	6	8	46	41	+5	5-2-1	3-1-1	0-1	6-2-2	W1
3 NY Islanders	14	7	4	3	17	.607	7	7	35	34	+1	4-0-1	3-4-2	0-1	4-3-3	W2
4 Washington	13	6	4	3	15	.577	4	5	47	51	-4	4-2-1	2-2-2	1-2	4-4-2	L4
5 Pittsburgh	13	7	5	1	15	.577	2	4	43	47	-4	5-0-0	2-5-1	3-0	6-3-1	W2
6 NY Rangers	13	4	6	3	11	.423	3	4	31	34	-3	3-4-2	1-2-1	0-1	3-4-3	L1
7 New Jersey	9	4	3	2	10	.556	3	4	23	26	-3	2-2-1	2-1-1	0-2	4-3-2	W1
8 Buffalo	11	4	5	2	10	.455	2	2	31	35	-4	2-4-1	2-1-1	2-1	4-4-2	L2

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Click to read more...

 

[Frenchy]

B2B game , i'm expecting Buffalo to give us a stronger opposition tonight.
They didnt play in like 15 days and it showed last night. We'll have to be ready.

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

Must win.

Keep rolling.

 

[Big L]

I’d expect a tougher Buffalo opponent tonight, and I hope the Isles aren’t complacent.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I expect tonight to be a tough game, Sorokin if he is starting, and usually on back to backs means he will, will hopefully have his best NHL game. This is a big one again. Isles starting to play like a Swiss watch. On the note of Wahlstrom, Dal Colle, and Komarov. All 3 are playing well now, the 3rd line is starting to find some consistency. Pageau is scoring. When Beauvillier comes back in, it may be a rotation of the 3. Not a bad idea IMO.

 

[MJF]

Let's get Sorokin a lead to work with. Tonight a fast start is a must.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Let's get Sorokin a lead to work with. Tonight a fast start is a must.

I think the boys mindset is let's get Sorokin a W tonight, we owe him one. I have a feeling this game is not going to be easy. Best to have the A game going. The Isles did not start well last night, can play an even better game in game 2.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

I'm gonna carry this over from the previous thread on Eichel wanting out potentally, or us rumoring that he should be traded.

I for one, hope they don't. I don't think trading him helps the team personally. But I can't help but notice that Eichel is similar to Tavares in that he is the team, the big story and it's centered around him.

Lessons learned over the years between the difference of Lou and Snow -> Role players are important. When Clutter, Casey and Kulemin are hurt, you don't replace them with Prince or Quine. Is Buffalo doing this?

Goaltending is numero uno. Want to go somewhere? Get a number one goalie. Lou had Broduer, when he started going down hill he traded for Schneider. When Toronto needed the next step he went for Freddie. He brought in Lehner for us and then committed to Varly. Buffalo wants to win this season but enter it with Ullmark and Hutton? They could improve yes, but that's luck. Snow ran with Nabokov. Remember how bad he was vs the Pens? He got us down the stretch for sure but we should have upset the Pens that round. Luckily they had Vokoun. We went with Nabby the extra year and that was a lost cause.

Then, trading for Vanek. We needed stronger defense but the narrative was that Tavares had no help. Stop revolving around the player, the team is what is important. So Buffalo brings in Hall. Was that their number one need? Fluery was available. Markstrom was available.

I don't care for Buffalo but I can't help but notice the similarities. Then there's the losing culture which I think is a very real thing.

 

[Riseonfire]

Eichel and Hall each have played 11 games each and have goal totals of 2 and 1.

 

[PWJunior]

I'm gonna carry this over from the previous thread on Eichel wanting out potentally, or us rumoring that he should be traded.

I for one, hope they don't. I don't think trading him helps the team personally. But I can't help but notice that Eichel is similar to Tavares in that he is the team, the big story and it's centered around him.

Lessons learned over the years between the difference of Lou and Snow -> Role players are important. When Clutter, Casey and Kulemin are hurt, you don't replace them with Prince or Quine. Is Buffalo doing this?

Goaltending is numero uno. Want to go somewhere? Get a number one goalie. Lou had Broduer, when he started going down hill he traded for Schneider. When Toronto needed the next step he went for Freddie. He brought in Lehner for us and then committed to Varly. Buffalo wants to win this season but enter it with Ullmark and Hutton? They could improve yes, but that's luck. Snow ran with Nabokov. Remember how bad he was vs the Pens? He got us down the stretch for sure but we should have upset the Pens that round. Luckily they had Vokoun. We went with Nabby the extra year and that was a lost cause.

Then, trading for Vanek. We needed stronger defense but the narrative was that Tavares had no help. Stop revolving around the player, the team is what is important. So Buffalo brings in Hall. Was that their number one need? Fluery was available. Markstrom was available.

I don't care for Buffalo but I can't help but notice the similarities. Then there's the losing culture which I think is a very real thing.

I've never liked Eichel despite the vast talent, he always struck me as a punk. Of course my negative bias against the Buffalo fans during their tank soured me on him right away, but there are several things about him that rub me the wrong way. I don’t know if he is a natural leader and he got the C because he was their best player, not because he truly deserved it... just like the lying POS snake robot here on LI. He needs a real leader like Toews to take care of the "intangibles" so Eichel can be Kane and just do his thing as the most talented player. I guess that's why Buffalo brought in Hall hoping that would happen, but I've made my doubts about Hall ad nauseum over the years.

I totally get what you're saying in your post, agree completely. Buffalo has done everything wrong with him just like we did with the douchebag we shouldn't have given the C to.

 

[mm11]

The pattern this year I noticed when the Isles come off a fairly easy win the next game they seem complacent. Let's see what happens. Hopefully Sorokin can close some of these holes in his game. LGI

 

[ekill08x]

Sorokin needs to really focus tonight. If he struggles he should be sent to Bridgeport for a month and get some experience like Shesterkyn did with the Rangers. No shame in it. We can’t throw games away because our backup is a soft goal waiting to happen. That being said, we need to play a well disciplined game tonight and give him something to work with offensively.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Back to back games, going to bring up something that has not been brought up often this year. When do the Isles work in Aho. Our Aho, not the Carolina Aho. Seems to me tonight may be the best time. The East has no soft spots, but Buffalo may be the easiest spot. Greene may be due for a day off, important to keep him fresh this year. So you know what, I would like to see him in there, maybe put him with Mayfield on the 3rd pairing. A couple of years ago, I thought it was a toss up between he and Toews making the team.

 

[JKP]

Ok... The Isles need to hold them shotless for 2 straight periods tonight... anything less is a regression.

 

[duster19]

Sounds like Beau in tonight. I’m going to guess MDC out.

 

[SI]

Sounds like Beau in tonight. I’m going to guess MDC out.

that would make the most sense, but you might be surprised - it could be Komarov. Beau has featured on the PK.

my hope is
Beau replaces Komarov on Pageau’s line giving MDC and Wahlstrom more consistent playing time.

with Beau returning it might push Wahlstrom off of the PP where we could use his shot. I’d have Beau replace Bailey on the PP

 

[SI90]

Good time for Sorokin to get his first win. Let’s go!!

 

[Throttle]

Eichel and Hall each have played 11 games each and have goal totals of 2 and 1.

I'm not surprised by this. Hall's move to BUF was all about the money and its hurting his reputation even further. He should have taken less and went to a contender - play a lesser role, get playoff experience, elevate his stature about being a team player on a winning team. Nope, he took the money with a sad sack organization - he knows it. His gameplan wasn't to get flipped at the deadline, his gameplan was to juice his numbers with Eichel for a payday. That's all you need to know about him.

 

[MattMartin]

that would make the most sense, but you might be surprised - it could be Komarov. Beau has featured on the PK.

my hope is
Beau replaces Komarov on Pageau’s line giving MDC and Wahlstrom more consistent playing time.

with Beau returning it might push Wahlstrom off of the PP where we could use his shot. I’d have Beau replace Bailey on the PP

Beauvillier (lower-body) will return to the Islanders lineup on Tuesday.

Beauvillier has been out since January 24th but will play Tuesday in Buffalo. Beauvillier will most likely replace Leo Komarov in the lineup and Michael Dal Colle on Brock Nelson's wing in his return. Beauvillier picked up one assist and four shots on goal in five games before getting injured.

I was hoping just like you said, replace Beau with Komarov, keep the lines balanced

 

[sabremike]

A very important PSA:

 

[IslesRock4]

According to Staple, Komarov is indeed the casualty for Beauvillier drawing back in. Happy surprise.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

According to Staple, Komarov is indeed the casualty for Beauvillier drawing back in. Happy surprise.

I like this, I always wanted to see Beavillier with Pageau. Not sure if this is the plan. Think they could be a good tandem.

 

[PWJunior]

According to Staple, Komarov is indeed the casualty for Beauvillier drawing back in. Happy surprise.

FINALLY, the kids play together.

 

[Riseonfire]

I'm not surprised by this. Hall's move to BUF was all about the money

Long con - It's so he can sign cheap and win with his buddy Ebs next season.

 

[Riseonfire]

FINALLY, the kids play together.

And just when you think they're about to break apart - KIDS PLAY TOGETHER.

And when the wind blows hard and the sky is black - KIDS PLAY TOGETHER.

And when the roosters are crowing and the cows are spinning circles in the pasture- uhh... KIDS PLAY TOGETHER.