The Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders meet Saturday in NHL action from the UBS Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Islanders prediction.

Buffalo Sabres Recap

The Buffalo Sabres come into this one looking to bounce back after a 4-3 OT loss to Vancouver last time out. After this game, the Sabres will head home for a matchup with Colorado.

Sabres Drop Back-To-Back Games

Alex Tuch leads the Sabres in scoring with 22 points including 8 goals and a team-high 14 assists while Tage Thompson has 18 points with a team-high 11 goals. JJ Peterka has 16 points with 7 goals and 9 assists and Rasmus Dahlin has 19 points with 6 goals and 13 assists. Owen Power also has 15 points with 12 assists on the year. Devon Levi has gone 2-5 in net for the Sabres with a 3.95 GAA and an .870 save percentage while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is 8-5-2 with a 2.54 GAA and a .909 save percentage as well on the year.

Why the Buffalo Sabres will win

• The Islanders have lost each of their last four games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The road team has won each of the Sabres’ last five games.
• The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last nine games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in 12 of the Sabres’ last 13 games.

New York Islanders Recap

The New York Islanders come into this one looking to snap a three-game losing streak after a 5-4 OT loss to Washington last time out. After this game, the Islanders will head to Montreal for a date with the Canadiens.

Islanders Looking To Rebound

Kyle Palmieri has a team-high 19 points with 10 goals and 9 assists while Bo Horvat added 17 points with 5 goals and 12 assists. Maxim Tsyplakov has 13 points with 10 assists while Brock Nelson has 17 points with 10 goals and Anders Lee has 17 points with 9 goals and 8 assists. J-G Pageau also has 10 points split between 5 goals and 5 assists on the year. Ilya Sorokin has gone 5-6-3 with a 2.70 GAA and a .909 save percentage in goal for the Islanders while Semyon Varlamov is 3-4-3 with a 2.89 GAA and an .889 save percentage this season.

Why the New York Islanders will win

• The Islanders have won 12 of their last 13 home games against the Sabres.
• The Sabres have lost seven of their last eight games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The Sabres have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last three games against Eastern Conference opponents after coming off overtime.
• The home team has covered the puck line in three of the Sabres’ last four games.

Sabres vs. Islanders Prediction

I’m on the Sabres here. The Islanders continue to struggle and are not a team I am interested in laying juice with right now, even if they’re the more talented team on paper from a goaltending perspective. The Sabres are playing the better hockey and have been taking care of business on the road a lot lately. Give me Buffalo in this one.