NEW YORK ISLANDERS NOYTES:
LAST GAME
DATE NYI RESULT SCORE NYI SCORERS IN GOAL
Oct. 20, 2023
vs. New Jersey
OT Loss NJD 5 at NYI 4 Nelson (2), Horvat (2) Sorokin 34/39
Brock Nelson opened the score and added a second goal in the second period, while Kyle Palmieri tallied three assists, but the New York Islanders fell to the New Jersey Devils in overtime, 5-4, Friday night at UBS Arena. Bo Horvat also scored twice, including a goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation to even the score, and Matt Martin and Pierre Engvall tallied assists to help the Islanders collect a point in their four-game season series with the Devils.
INJURIES – DATE (GAMES MISSED)
Scott Mayfield Oct. 17 (Two)
2023-24 Man Games Lost: 1
2022-23 Man Games Lost: 209
SEASON SERIES
DATE LOCATION RESULT/TIME
Oct. 14, 2023 UBS Arena W, 3-2
Oct. 20, 2023 KeyBank Center 7:00pm
Mar. 14, 2024 UBS Arena 7:30pm
THE ISLANDERS VS. BUFFALO
LAST FIVE MEETINGS (2-1-1)
Oct. 14, 2023 UBS Arena W (3-2)
Mar. 25, 2023 UBS Arena L (2-0)
Mar. 7, 2023 UBS Arena W (3-2)
Jan. 19, 2023 KeyBank Center L/OT (3-2)
Apr. 23, 2022 KeyBank Center L (5-3)
2023-24 1-0-0
Franchise History 82-77-18-11
NYI Home 48-33-9-4
NYI Away 34-44-9-7
TEAM NOTES
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Tonight, the New York Islanders visit the Buffalo Sabres in the second of three matchups between the two clubs this season. These teams last met just one week ago on Oct. 14, when Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri scored in a 3-2 win in the Islanders’ first season-opening win on home ice since January 1995.. The Islanders will play their first road game of the 2023-24 campaign tonight, and they wrap up their first back-to-back set of games this season, after collecting a point in overtime last night against the New Jersey Devils.
TWO-GOAL GAMES
Friday night vs. New Jersey, Islanders forwards Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson each scored twice to help the Islanders collect a point against the Devils. It was Horvat’s first two-goal game as an Islander and since Jan. 3, 2023. He scored with 1:11 remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. The London, ON native has now recorded 28 multi-goal games in his career. Nelson has recorded multi-point games in two of the Islanders’ first three games of the season, including a goal and assist the last time the Islanders faced Buffalo. Nelson’s goal on Saturday his sixth on opening night in his career, good for sole possession of second-most in franchise history, behind Mike Bossy (seven). It was also the first time that Nelson tallied a multi-point game in his first game of the season since Oct. 10, 2014 (two goals).
SINGLE-GAME HIGHS
Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson recorded an assist, registered a career-high +4 rating, and a career-high eight blocked shots last night against New Jersey. The 23-year-old has found the scoresheet in each of his last two games. He has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 17 career meetings with the Sabres, second-most of any opponent Dobson has faced in his career (Washington, 10). Last night’s matchup was also just the third time in his career Dobson has registered more than 26 minutes of time on ice (26:02).
BACK-TO-BACK
Tonight’s matchup caps off the Islanders’ first back-to-back series of the season, as they fell to 0-0-1 in front-ends last night. Last season, the Islanders were 7-7-1 on the front-end of back-to-back games and 8-5-2 on the back-end. They will play 10 sets of back-to-back games this season, after playing 15 in the 2022-23 campaign.
BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:
LAST GAME
Tuesday, Oct. 19
Buffalo 3 vs. Calgary 4
Goals: Johnson, Thompson, Peterka
Goalie: Levi (32 saves/36 shots)
PP: 1/5; PK: 5/5; Shots: Calgary 36 – Buffalo 27
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 8)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Jack Quinn (Achilles, Oct. 13; injured reserve) – 4 games
Matt Savoie (Upper body, Oct. 13; injured reserve) – 4 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
N/A
UPCOMING GAMES
Monday, Oct. 23: Buffalo vs. Montreal, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 24: Buffalo at Ottawa, 6:45 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 27: Buffalo at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 29: Buffalo vs. Colorado, 1 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 1: Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES vs. ISLANDERS
- This is the second of three meetings between the Sabres and Islanders this season.
- Next meeting: Thursday, March 14 in Buffalo.
- Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo 3-2 in New York on Oct. 14.
- The Sabres are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games against the Islanders; 6-4-0 at home.
- This is the 189th game all-time between Buffalo and Islanders; Buffalo has an 88-75-25 series record.
- The Sabres are 51-31-12 at home against the Islanders all-time.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- Buffalo has defeated New York in four of the past six matchups between the two clubs.
- The Sabres have earned wins in each of their last five home games against the Islanders.
- The only other instance of Buffalo winning five consecutive home games against New York occurred when the Sabres won the first six home games they ever played against the Islanders from Nov. 26, 1972 to Dec. 18, 1974.
- Dylan Cozens has registered at least one point in consecutive games (1+2) and a point in tonight’s game would give him his first point streak of three or more games since he did so from April 4 to 8, 2023 (3+2).
- He has registered six points (2+4) in his last six contests against the Islanders.
- A goal in tonight’s game would make Cozens the third member of the 2019 NHL Draft class to score 50 career goals.
- Rasmus Dahlin is riding a three-game point streak and a point in tonight’s game would give him a four-game point streak for the first time since he notched at least one point in five consecutive games from March 31 to April 8, 2023.
- With an assist in tonight’s game, Dahlin would extend his assist streak to four games.
- Jeff Skinner leads all current Sabres skaters in goals (13), assists (12) and points (25) against the Islanders.
- In two career starts against the Islanders in his career, Eric Comrie has posted a .965 save percentage and a 1.03 goals-against average.
LICENSE TO KILL
- Entering play on Oct. 20, the Sabres ranked fifth among all NHL teams in penalty kill percentage (93.8).
- Buffalo has successfully killed 15 of the 16 power plays they have faced in 2023-24.
- The Sabres were one of 11 teams who had allowed one or fewer power-play goals entering play on Oct. 20.
- Erik Johnson leads all Sabres skaters in time on ice in shorthanded situations (14:44).
- Zemgus Girgensons leads all Sabres skaters in penalties drawn in penalty kill situations (2).
- Among all Buffalo skaters, Mattias Samuelsson ranks first in blocked shots on the penalty kill (3).
SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK]
1-10: 1-3-0 (2), 9/14, 1/13, 15/16
OVERTIME RESULTS (1-0; 140-150 all-time)
Oct. 17 vs. TBL: W, 3-2 (GWG-Cozens)
SHOOTOUT RESULTS (0-0; 87-80 all-time)
