How do the New York Islanders move forward from one of their most embarrassing losses of the season? Very carefully, considering that the elite Buffalo Sabres are next to face the Isles at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday.
Bo Horvat and the Islanders might be glad Tuesday’s tilt is in Buffalo and not Long Island. Fans aren’t pleased with a roster that gave up five goals to Pittsburgh in the wild second period of an 8-3 loss Monday evening. Sidney Crosby did not dominate play for the Penguins, who were still missing Evgeni Malkin due to injury. There’s no excuse for playing loose hockey at this stage of an incredibly tight playoff race.
If the Isles don’t check the Sabres, the scoreboard in Buffalo could get just as ugly. Team USA sniper Tage Thompson and the Sabres are in a three-way dogfight for the Eastern Conference lead, holding on to 98 points. Buffalo could finish the regular season with more goals scored than any NHL team east of Colorado after winning just 36 games last year. Tuesday’s opponents last met on Jan. 24, Buffalo notching a 5-0 road victory over New York.
Islanders +1.5 (-148)Sabres -1.5 (+124)Islanders +164Sabres -198Over 6.5 (+105)Under 6.5 (-125)
Note: The above data was collected on March 31, 2026, and may have changed since writing.
New York Islanders vs Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends Buffalo has beaten the New York Islanders in three straight meetings.Betting totals have gone under in nine of the previous 11 meetings.New York has just two regulation wins in its last 11 road games.New York Islanders vs Buffalo Sabres Injury ReportsDefenseman Tony DeAngelo is out with a lower-body injury.Goaltender Semyon Varlamov is out for the season with a knee injury.Defenseman Alexander Romanov is out for the season with a shoulder injury.Right winger Kyle Palmieri is out for the season with a knee injury.Left winger Pierre Engvall is out for the season with an ankle injury.Center Noah Ostlund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.Right winger Justin Danforth is out with a kneecap injury.Center Jiri Kulich is out for the season with an ear injury.New York Islanders vs Buffalo Sabres Predictions and Picks
Monday’s dreadful defeat may have shown that Isles goalie Ilya Sorokin can still have a bad game. But it’s Sorokin’s goaltending that has buoyed the Islanders throughout a stretch run that leaves New York vying for an automatic seed in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The 42-28-5 Islanders couldn’t capitalize on their extended home stand. Now, they’ve got to rely on the road form that made contending for the playoffs possible.
ESPN relayed that Buffalo goaltender Alex Lyon “tied a Buffalo record with his ninth straight victory” for the Sabres in January’s blowout of the Islanders. Given the Isles’ shaky form in comfortable travel circumstances, are the Sabres destined to reach the 100-point milestone with relative ease?
It helps Buffalo to be well-rested for Tuesday. On the other hand, New York’s skaters are too chagrined to do anything but grind to prove their mettle 24 hours after a disaster. Expert sportsbook users might try under-total-goals bets, watching for two nervous, anticipatory teams to fumble the puck.