NHL Odds, Preview, Expert Pick & Prediction: Sabres vs. Islanders (March 7)

Sabres vs. Islanders Odds

The Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders are set to meet in what will be a very important game for standings implications. The Sabres are currently four points back of the Islanders for the first wild card spot. Buffalo will also be playing the second night of a back-to-back.

The New York Islanders have put together a strong stretch of hockey, going 5-2-3 in their last 10 games despite missing star forward Mat Barzal.

The Islanders have been able to rely on goaltender Ilya Sorokin all season long and in this game, he is going to have to stand on his head to stop the high-flying Sabres offense.

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Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres had a strong effort Monday night at home against the Edmonton Oilers, but ultimately fell short, losing by the score of 3-2. It hasn't been a strong couple of games for the Sabres; they have lost three out of their last four games, and this is going to be their third game in four nights.

The main concern for Buffalo this season has been its lack of consistency. The Sabres will have a strong stretch of games, then completely fall off the wagon. Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner have been producing offensively, but they need to get some more help. In their last five games, Skinner has four goals and two assists, while Thompson has added three goals and four assists of his own.

The Sabres have not had much success when playing in Long Island in recent history, going 1-10 in their last 11 contest when they are on the road against the Islanders.

Craig Anderson got the start Monday night, so it will be interesting to see who the Sabres decide to start in this one. Goaltending is not one of Buffalo's advantages. They are averaging 3.71 goals per game and tonight they will face a very tough Islanders goaltender, so they need their offense to come through.

New York Islanders

When you think about the Islanders, the first player that comes to mind is always Sorokin, who has been on absolute fire lately, skating to a 1.21 goals against average and a .961 save percentage at 5-on-5 in his last five games.

This season overall, he is boasting a .926 save percentage along with a 2.34 goals against average to go along with a league's second best mark of a +33.1 goals saved above expected. Sorokin has been outstanding.

The Islanders certainly aren't as gifted offensively as the Sabres are, but they still have players that are capable of putting the puck in the net. Bo Horvat has been an excellent acquisition for this team, really stepping up in the absence of Barzal. But he still needs some help from guys other than Brock Nelson.

New York makes up for its lack of goal scoring with team defense. The Islanders are the fifth best defensive team in the NHL, only allowing 2.65 goals against per game and they have the seventh best penalty kill.

Sabres vs. Islanders Pick

The Islanders have certainly had a trend of under hitting whenever they play on home ice at UBS Arena. The under has gone 15-5-2 in their last 22 games at home.

Sorokin will certainly be the difference maker in this contest. He has been absolutely outstanding in the team's last five games and he is 2-1-1 in his last four starts.

The Sabres might be one of the better offensive teams, but they struggled to score Monday night against a weak Edmonton defense and now they will have to battle the fatigue on their second leg of a back-to-back.

This is going to be a very tight battle since both teams are fighting for a playoff spot, I am leaning toward the under.

Pick: Under 6.5 (-120)

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