The New York Islanders (29-21-14) travel to face off against the Buffalo Sabres (31-30-5) on Thursday, March 14th. This game will be played at KeyBank Center in Buffalo and televised on MSG-. The Sabres are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Islanders are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Kings. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Islanders vs Sabres

The New York Islanders Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

As the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, the Islanders have gone 29-21-14 overall this season and 18-17 against other Eastern Conference teams. In their division, the Islanders are in 4th place with an 8-9 record.

On the road, New York has gone 14-13-5, and they have been favored in 30 of their 64 games this season, going 15-10-5 in those games. Over their last ten games, the Islanders have gone 7-3, and they have won three straight games as the favorite.

On the road this season, the Islanders have a puck line record of 19-13, and their average scoring margin is at -0.2 goals per game. So far, New York has been the favorite in 30 games, and their puck line record as the favorite is 9-21.

Overall, the Islanders have 13 wins by multiple goals compared to their 18 losses by more than one goal. In their last ten games, New York’s puck line record is at 7-3.

In their most recent game, the Islanders fell to the Kings on the road by a score of 3-0. In this game, New York’s offense had a challenging time against the Kings and failed to score. During the game, the Islanders’ offense had 1 turnovers and took 26 shots on goal while being shutout.

Entering the game as the underdog, New York not only suffered a straight-up loss but also failed to cover the puck line. The game finished below the over/under line of 6 with a combined total of 3 goals.

The Buffalo Sabres Are Coming Off A Win

Heading into today’s game, the Sabres are 11th in the Eastern Conference with 67 points and a record of 31-30-5. In their last ten games, Buffalo has gone 6-4 and has won two straight games. At home this year, the Sabres have gone 16-17-1 and have won two straight games at home.

As the underdog, Buffalo has gone 17-21-4 this year and has been the underdog in 42 of their 66 games. In the Atlantic Division, the Sabres are in 6th place with a division record of 10-10.

Buffalo enters the game with a puck line record of 36-30 and an average scoring margin of .0 goals per game. So far, they have 20 road losses by more than one goal compared to 14 at home. Overall, the Sabres have 21 losses by more than one goal.

As the underdog, Buffalo has a puck line record of 28-14, including a mark of 16-18 at home. The Sabres have 11 wins by more than one goal and 20 losses by multiple goals. In their last 10 home games, Buffalo has gone 6-4 against the puck line.

In their most recent game, the Sabres hosted the Red Wings and secured a 7-3 victory. Offensively, the Sabres scored four goals in the first period and three times in the second period. All seven goals came at even strength. They finished with 39 shots on goal and had 2 turnovers.

Buffalo also picked up a win against the puck line, coming into the game favored by -1.5. The teams surpassed the over/under line, which was set at 6.5 goals, with a combined total of 10 goals.

New York Offense Breakdown

Offensively, the Islanders come into the game at 3.1 goals per contest placing 20th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are in 21st position in the league. This season, the Islanders are 11-10 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 18-11 record.

The Islanders come in with an over/under record of 35-25-4. Over the season, there have been 33 games that have surpassed the 6 over/under line. Their games, on average, are at 6.3 goals per game.

Sabres Offense Breakdown

On offense, the Sabres are averaging 2.9 goals per game which is 21st in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 12th in the league. Looking at how the Sabres’ offense is performing during power plays, they are 29th in power play goals and 15th in shorthanded goals.

This season, the Sabres’ have an over/under record of 26-38-2. Throughout the season, they have played 33 games that did not exceed the 6 over/under line. On average, their games are averaging 6 goals per game.

New York Team Defense

In terms of defense, the Islanders head into the game ranked 6th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 32.9 shots per game against New York. So far, they are 18th in shutouts, achieving 4 shutouts.

Buffalo Team Defense

Buffalo defense takes on the Islanders ranked 22nd in goals allowed. On average, opponents are averaging 28.8 shots per game against Buffalo. They also are 13th in shutouts, with 4 shutouts.

Islanders vs Sabres Trends

• Through their last ten road contests, the Islanders offense has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing an average of 2. New York posted an overall record of 6-4 while going 6-4 ATS.
• Across their last five home contests, Buffalo has been good against the puck line posting a mark of 4-1. Their overall mark in these games was 4-1, while averaging 4 goals per game.
• Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Sabres have gone 2-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-2.
• Through their last three games as the favorite, the Islanders have an puck line record of 3-0 and a straight up mark of 3-0.

Islanders vs Sabres Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Sabres to secure a victory over the Islanders at home. With the moneyline currently set at -107, I’m locking in my bet on the Sabres straight-up.

Our projections have the Sabres pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Sabres, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.