The Buffalo Sabres have made a promising start to the season, positioning themselves to potentially break one of the longest playoff droughts in NHL history. In contrast, the New York Islanders are struggling to envision anything other than a repeat of their recent disappointing history.
As the teams prepare to meet in Elmont, N.Y., on Saturday night, the Sabres aim to maintain their place in the middle of the Eastern Conference, while the Islanders seek to overcome their ongoing issues in the third period.
Both teams are coming off back-to-back games after suffering overtime losses on Friday. The Sabres lost 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks, while the Islanders blew a third-period lead in a 5-4 defeat to the Washington Capitals.
Despite their second consecutive loss, the Sabres remain optimistic, having gone 7-3-1 in their last 11 games and staying competitive for one of the Eastern Conference’s wild-card spots, a position they haven’t reached since the 2010-11 season. They managed to secure a point on Friday after rallying from a two-goal deficit against the Canucks, outshooting them 34-22 overall.
Previously, the Sabres had outshot the Minnesota Wild, who have the second-most points in the Western Conference, 39-29 in a narrow 1-0 loss. “We played with desperation, and that’s what defines this team,” said center Dylan Cozens, who scored their first goal in the third. “We don’t give up; we’ll fight until the final buzzer.”
Meanwhile, the Islanders, having lost eight of their last ten games (2-4-4), are becoming increasingly anxious as their problems in the third period threaten their season. New York, leading 4-2 going into the final frame on Friday, has now lost seven games this season after being ahead in the last 20 minutes. In their most recent game, they allowed three unanswered third-period goals in a 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins and were outshot 9-3 in that period and overtime on Friday.
Additionally, they failed to register a shot during a power play with 3:50 left in regulation. Despite sitting just three points away from a wild-card position, they are tied for last in the Metropolitan Division with the Pittsburgh Penguins, only ahead of the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, who each have two games in hand.
“It’s the same issue,” said Islanders left winger Matt Martin. “We keep finding ways to lose, and that’s simply not good enough. We need to capitalize on critical moments in games.”
