NHL Matchup Preview

Sabres Host Islanders in Regular Season Matchup

By Cole Crease StreakChat NHL columnist Published March 30, 2026 9:05 PM EDT

Regular Season 7:00 PM ESPN+ KeyBank Center Buffalo, NY

Matchup

New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres

Puck Drop

7:00 PM

Arena

KeyBank Center

Location

Buffalo, NY

Records

New York Islanders 42-27-5 (21-15-3 Away) | Buffalo Sabres 45-21-8 (23-10-4 Home)

Coverage

ESPN+

What To Watch

The points leaders take center stage with Mathew Barzal and Tage Thompson driving the attack.
Buffalo Sabres bring the better scoring rate at 3.43 goals per game, compared with 2.86 for New York Islanders.
New York Islanders list Tony DeAngelo as OUT.

The Buffalo Sabres (45-21-8) welcome the New York Islanders (42-27-5) to KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY, for a Regular Season tilt tonight at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN+. Buffalo is the clear favorite here, with the Sabres laying -1.5 on the spread and a total of 6.5 goals, reflecting their stronger home record of 23-10-4 against New York's 21-15-3 away split. The betting line isn't just about home ice; it's a nod to Buffalo's offensive edge.

Buffalo's attack, fueled by Tage Thompson's 76 points (37 G, 39 A), averages 3.43 goals per game, a notable increase over the Islanders' 2.86. While New York's defense typically limits shots, allowing 28.0 per game compared to Buffalo's 29.4, they'll be without key blueliners Tony DeAngelo (OUT) and Alexander Romanov (IR), which could open things up. Make your pick or follow the discussion on StreakChat.

Prop Hub

Make your pick and talk it out here

This article is now the home for the linked prop, your pick action, and the same prop discussion thread.

Matchup

New York Islanders vs Buffalo Sabres

Start

2026-03-31 19:00:00

Status

Finished

Discussion

Prop chat

Load the thread when you want it. That keeps us from initializing Disqus just because someone opened the article.

No thread is loaded yet.

Game Facts

Matchup

New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres

Season Leaders

New York Islanders: Mathew Barzal (65 pts)

Buffalo Sabres: Tage Thompson (76 pts)

Odds / Predictor

Buffalo Sabres -1.5 | Total: 6.5

Matchup predictor: - / -

Key Stat Edges

Buffalo Sabres bring the better scoring rate at 3.43 goals per game, compared with 2.86 for New York Islanders.
Buffalo Sabres bring the stronger power play at 20.9, while New York Islanders sit at 16.4.

Notable Injuries

New York Islanders list Tony DeAngelo as OUT.
New York Islanders list Alexander Romanov as IR.
Buffalo Sabres list Noah Ostlund as Day-To-Day.

Team Stats Snapshot

Metric	NYI	BUF
GF/G	2.86	3.43
GAA	2.76	2.95
SF/G	28.3	28.1
SA/G	28.0	29.4
PIM	582	707
PPG	36	46
PCT	16.4	20.9
PPGA	36	37
PCT	81.5	82.0
SHG	9	10
SHGA	0	0

Injury Report

New York Islanders

Tony DeAngelo (D)
OUT Apr 9

Alexander Romanov (D)
IR May 1

Pierre Engvall (LW)
IR-LT Sep 15

Semyon Varlamov (G)
IR Sep 15

Kyle Palmieri (C)
IR Sep 15

Buffalo Sabres

Noah Ostlund (C)
Day-To-Day Mar 31

Jiri Kulich (C)
IR Sep 15

Justin Danforth (RW)
IR Apr 13

DeBrincat vs. Konecny: Who blinks first in a coin-flip Atlantic tussle?

Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings

Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres: Sabres' High-Powered Offense Hosts Blue Jackets

Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres

Islanders Look to Lock Down Home Ice Against Struggling Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders