Islanders host Sabres in Eastern Conference play
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Two teams in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings take the ice when the New York Islanders (27-18-5, eighth in conference) host the Buffalo Sabres (28-17-5, fifth) at UBS Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. New York was handed a 4-1 loss on the road its last time out on Jan. 21 against the Seattle Kraken.
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NHL insider believes if Buffalo Sabres make it to playoffs, GM Jarmo Kekalainen deserves all credit
The Buffalo Sabres are on a remarkable surge, climbing the standings after a dismal start. This turnaround, marked by a 17-3-1 record and a 10-game winning streak, began shortly after GM Kevyn Adams was replaced by Jarmo Kekalainen.
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres square off in Eastern Conference action. New York has a 5-10-4 record in home games and a 20-18-6 record overall. The Rangers are 17-2-1 when scoring at least three goals. Buffalo is 22-15-4 overall and 9-10-2 in road games. The Sabres have a 20-3-3 record when scoring at least three goals.
Sabres vs Hurricanes predictions and NHL picks for Monday, January 19. Carolina outclasses Buffalo in several stat categories.
Third place in the Atlantic Division once felt far off for these Sabres, who at 11-14-4 sat in the basement of the Eastern Conference. But a 16-3-1 stretch since has Buffalo just four points behind the third-place Canadiens entering Thursday, with one game in hand.
Two teams near the top of the Eastern Conference standings take the ice when the fourth-place Montreal Canadiens (28-15-7) host the fifth-place Buffalo Sabres (27-17-5) at Bell Centre on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Montreal claimed a 4-3 home victory against the Minnesota Wild in its last game on Jan. 20.
1. After the Sabres’ morning skate on Thursday, players gathered at center ice for a stretch. Josh Doan was in the middle of that circle, and his teammates surrounded him with a chorus of stick taps. Doan is fresh off signing a seven-year contract worth $6.95 million per year, news that was clearly exciting to his teammates.
The Sabres shot 9.0 percent in their first 13 road games, 13.2 percent in their last 12 (NHL average is 10.9 percent). They had an .844 team save percentage in the first 13, .926 in the last 12 (NHL average is .891).