Subscribe
Follow Us
The New York Islanders return home as they face the Buffalo Sabres. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Sabres-Islanders prediction and pick.
The Sabres enter Friday sitting at 11-10-1 on the year. They are just five points behind the Maple Leafs for first in the Atlantic Division. They will face the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. Going into that game, they have won four of the last six games. Meanwhile, the Islanders come into the game on Friday at 8-10-5 on the year. They will be playing the Washington Capitals on the road on Friday. Going into that game, they had won just once in their previous six games.
Here are the Sabres-Islanders NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Sabres-Islanders Odds
Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-240)
Moneyline: +112
New York Islanders: -1.5 (+190)
Moneyline: -134
Over: 5.5 (-120)
Under: 5.5 (-102)
How To Watch Sabres vs Isalnders
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Sabres Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Sabres top line is led by JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch. Tuch was tied for the team lead in points, having 22 goals, 37 assists, and 59 total points in 75 games. Tuch has been great this year, with seven goals and 13 assists on the year. Tage Thompson was also solid last year. He has 29 goals, 37 assists, and a total of 56 points. Thompson has scored 11 times this year, and he has added seven assists. Finally, JJ Peterka scored 28 times with 22 assists in 82 games last year. Peterka has seven goals and nine assists this year.
Meanwhile, Rasmus Dahlin has been solid this year. He has six goals and 13 assists on the year, with three goals and five assists on the power play. That places him second on the team in total points and most on the team in power-play points. He is joined on the blueline by Owen Power. Power has three goals and 12 assists on the year, good for 15 total points. Also playing solid from the blue line is Bowen Byram. Byram has three goals and ten assists on the year. Finally, Jason Zucker has been solid from the third line, coming in with five goals and nine assists on the year.
James Reimer is expected to be in goal for the Sabres in this one. He started the year with the Ducks, going 0-2 with a 4.50 goals-against average. He has played one game with the Sabres so far. In that game, he stopped 31 of 33 shots against the Sharks, taking the win, his first of the year.
Why the Islanders Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Islanders' top line features Bo Horvat. Horvat had 33 goals and 25 assists last year, sitting fourth on the team with 68 total points. Horvat has five goals and ten assists this year. He is joined on the top line by Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Lee has eight goals and six assists on the year, while Pageau has five goals and five assists this year.
The second line is led by Kyle Palmieri. He is first on the team in points, having ten goals and nine assists this year. Palmieri also has a goal and an assist on the power play. He is joined by Brock Nelson and Maxim Tsyplakov. Nelson comes into the game with ten goals and seven assists this year. Tsyplakov has three goals and ten assists on the year. Finally, Noah Dobson has been great from the blue line. He has a goal and eight assists this year, with four assists on the power play this year.
Semyon Varlamov is expected to be in goal for the Islanders in this one. He is 3-4-2 on the year with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. He has been hit-and-miss as of late. In his last five starts, he has four games with save percentages over .920, but he is just 2-2-1 in those five games overall.
Final Sabres-Islanders Prediction & Pick
The Sabres have been solid this year. They are scoring 3.09 goals per game, while also sitting tied for 14th in the NHL in goals against per game. Further, they are 11th in the NHL on the penalty kill this year. The Islanders are scoring just 2.48 goals per game. They are 31st on both the power play and the penalty kill but are tied with the Sabres for 14th in the NHL in goals against per game. Still, they have struggled to score heavily as of late. In their last six games, they have just 13 goals and have lost five of the games. The Sabres have been playing solid defense, allowing just five goals in their last four games. Take the Sabres in this one.
Final Sabres-Islanders Prediction & Pick: Sabres ML (+112)
