Tag Archives: New York Islanders

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Monday, May 3
NY Islanders 2 at Buffalo 4
Goals: Reinhart (2), Thompson, Asplund
Goalie: Houser (34 saves/36 shots)
PP: 1/3; PK: 1/1; Shots: Buffalo 40 – Islanders 36

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 279)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 53 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 39 games
Jack Eichel (neck, March 9; injured reserve) – 30 games
Carter Hutton (lower body, March 24) – 23 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, April 15) – 11 games
Kyle Okposo (cheek, April 17) – 10 games
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body, May 3) – 1 game
Dustin Tokarski (undisclosed, May 3) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
5/3: Recalled G Michael Houser; Signed G Stefanos Lekkas to a professional tryout contract; Reassigned F C.J. Smith to the taxi squad; Reassigned F Jean-Sebastien Dea to the Rochester Americans (AHL)
5/4: Signed G Stefanos Lekkas to a one-year contract; Reassigned F Brett Murray to the taxi squad

UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, May 6: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 8: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
ISLANDERS at SABRES

• This is the eighth and final meeting between the Sabres and Islanders this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated New York 4-2 in Buffalo on May 3.
• The Sabres are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Islanders; 4-6-0 at home.
• This is the 181st game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has an 83-72-25 series record.
• The Sabres are 47-31-12 at home against the Islanders all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres have never played a regular-season game on May 4.
• May 4, 2007: Chris Drury scores the game-tying goal with :08 remaining in the third period and Maxim Afinogenov nets the game-winner 4:39 into overtime to give the Sabres a 3-2 series lead in their Eastern Conference Semifinal series with the Rangers.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Buffalo’s penalty kill is 25-for-28 (89.3%) in the team’s last 16 games against the Islanders dating back to April 2, 2017.
• The Sabres are looking for consecutive home wins against the Islanders for the first time since they won three in a row from Dec. 27, 2008 to Nov. 4, 2009.
• The Sabres used their sixth different goalie of the season in last night’s game. It is just the third time in franchise history Buffalo has had six different goalies play at least one game (1988-89, 2013-14).
• Michael Houser earned his first-career NHL victory in his first NHL appearance last night. He’s just the seventh Sabres goalie to win their NHL debut and first since Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen April 23.
• Sam Reinhart has scored eight goals in his last six games.
  • Reinhart has recorded six of the Sabres’ eight multi-goal performances this season and is the only Sabre to have two three-point games.
• Casey Mittelstadt has recorded six points (2+4) in his last six games. He has totaled 16 points (9+7) in his last 19 games dating back to March 31.
  • His nine goals are second on the team in that span, trailing only Sam Reinhart (13).
• Since making his NHL debut on April 9, Arttu Ruotsalainen is tied for fourth among rookies in goals (5) and tied for 10 in points (6).
• Rasmus Asplund enters the game riding a career-high three-game point streak (1+2).
• Following Monday’s game, the Sabres were the least-penalized team in the NHL with 6:18 of penalty time per game. Buffalo’s 334 total penalty minutes are the fewest in the NHL.

BACK-TO-BACK
Today’s game wraps up the final of Buffalo’s 14 sets of back-to-back games this season, which began last night in Buffalo with a 4-2 win against the Islanders. The Sabres are 4-10-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 3-9-1 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in previous back-to-back sets is: four points (0), three points (1), two points (5), one point (0) and zero points (7).

SAM I AM

• Sam Reinhart enters tonight’s game with 14 points (11+3) in his last 11 games dating back to April 15. His 11 goals since April 15 leads the NHL and his 14 points tie for 7th.
• Reinhart recorded 15 points (10+5) in 16 games during the month of April, leading the team in both goals and points during that stretch.
  • Reinhart tied for fifth in the NHL with 10 goals during the month of April.
• Reinhart has 25 goals in 50 games this season, tying his career high, which he set in 82 games during the 2017-18 season. He is one of 15 players in franchise history to have at least five 20-goal seasons with the Sabres.
• Reinhart is one of five players in the league this season to score double digit even-strength and power-play goals.
• Outside of a stretch from March 11 to 18, Reinhart has not gone more than two consecutive games without a point this season.

RISTO IN THE RECORD BOOK

• With his goal on April 6 at New Jersey, Rasmus Ristolainen took sole possession of the eighth-most goals by a defenseman in Sabres history. He now trails Richard Smehlik by one goal for seventh-most.
• Ristolainen’s first assist on Jan. 24 at Washington moved him past Jim Schoenfeld for the seventh-most career points recorded by a Sabres defenseman. He currently trails Bill Hajt by one point for sixth-most.
• Ristolainen holds the franchise record for most overtime goals by a defenseman (4) and is tied for ninth all-time among the team’s blueliners with six game-winning goals.
• Ristolainen’s career per-game output ranks him among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (14th), .37 A/GP (15th), .45 PTS/GP (13th)

BUF-NYI CONNECTIONS

• Sabres forward Anders Bjork played for Team USA at the 2017 IIHF World Championship with Islanders forward Brock Nelson.
• Sabres forward Cody Eakin won a silver medal for Team Canada with Islanders forward Casey Cizikas at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and Islanders forward Leo Komarov both played for Finland’s National Team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Sabres forward Jeff Skinner and Islanders forward Jordan Eberle played for Team Canada together at three consecutive IIHF World Championships: in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Islanders forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Travis Zajac were also on the 2011 roster.
• Jeff Skinner won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Championship. Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz was one of Canada’s assistant coaches at the tournament.
• Sabres forward Sam Reinhart played for Team Canada with Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Islanders director of goaltending Mitch Korn was the Sabres’ goaltending coach from 1990-91 to 1997-98.
• Islanders assistant video coordinator Corey Smith was the Sabres’ video coach in 2014-15 and 2015-16. He is the brother of current Sabres video coordinator Kyle Smith and the son of former Sabre Derek Smith.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league-leaders following Monday’s game)

• Reinhart: 25 G (T-7), 10 PPG (T-4th)
• Ristolainen: 176 Hits (5th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (178), Miller (86), Dahlin (74)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (61), Miller (50), Jokiharju (47)
Shots: Reinhart (123), Olofsson (121), Dahlin (111)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 4-4-2 (10), 30/32, 12/39, 19/23
11-20: 2-7-1 (5), 16/28, 7/23, 18/23
21-30: 0-9-1 (1), 18/45, 0/14, 18/26
31-40: 3-5-2 (8), 28/35, 3/23, 28/34
41-50: 4-5-1 (9), 29/32, 6/33, 17/22
51-56: 1-2-0 (2), 8/13, 1/7, 5/7

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-4; 126-138 all-time)
Jan. 28 vs. NYR: L, 3-2 (GWG-Lafrenière, 2:47)
Feb. 25 vs. NJD: L, 4-3 (GWG-Zacha, 1:17)
March 29 vs. PHI: L 4-3 (GWG-Provorov, 0:42)
April 1 vs. NYR: L 3-2 (GWG Zibanejad, 4:32)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (3-3; 80-74 all-time)
Jan. 22 at WSH: L, 4-3 (GDG-Carlson)
Jan. 24 at WSH: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
Jan. 30 vs. NJD: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
March 9 at PHI: L 5-4 (GDG-Couturier)
April 3 vs. NYR: W 3-2 (GDG-Thompson)
April 13 at BOS: L 3-2 (GDG-Coyle)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Rasmus Dahlin … 6 games … 200 career games

Goals
Rasmus Ristolainen … 1 goal … 47 career goals (T-7^th in franchise history, defensemen)

Assists
Rasmus Ristolainen … 3 assists … 200 career assists
Colin Miller … 7 assists … 100 career assists

Points
Rasmus Ristolainen … 1 point … 244 career points (T-6^th in franchise history, defensemen)
Sam Reinhart … 5 points … 300 career points

RECENT MILESTONES
Michael Houser … 1st NHL win … May 3

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Saturday, May 1
Buffalo 2 at Boston 6
Goals: Sheahan, Ruotsalainen
Goalie: Luukkonen (26 saves/29 shots), Tokarski (11 saves/14 shots)
PP: 0/2; PK: 3/4; Shots: Boston 43 – Buffalo 19

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 271)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 52 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 38 games
Jack Eichel (neck, March 9; injured reserve) – 29 games
Carter Hutton (lower body, March 24) – 22 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, April 15) – 10 games
Kyle Okposo (cheek, April 17) – 9 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
5/3: Recalled G Michael Houser; Signed G Stefanos Lekkas to a professional tryout contract; Reassigned F C.J. Smith to the taxi squad and F Jean-Sebastien Dea to the Rochester Americans (AHL)

UPCOMING GAMES
Tuesday, May 4: NY Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 6: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 8: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
ISLANDERS at SABRES

• This is the seventh of eight meetings between the Sabres and Islanders this season.
• Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo 5-2 in New York on March 7.
• Next meeting: Tuesday, May 4 in Buffalo
• The Sabres are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Islanders; 3-7-0 at home.
• This is the 180th game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has an 82-72-25 series record.
• The Sabres are 46-31-12 at home against the Islanders all-time.

THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 1-0-0 all-time on May 3 (regular season).
• May 3, 1995: Wayne Primeau scores the game-winning goal and Yuri Khmylev tallies three assists as the Sabres beat New Jersey 5-4 to close out the 1994-95 regular season.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Buffalo’s penalty kill is 24-for-27 (88.9%) in the team’s last 15 games against the Islanders dating back to April 2, 2017.
• Sam Reinhart has scored six goals in his last five games.
• Casey Mittelstadt enters tonight’s game riding a career-high five-game point streak (2+4). He has totaled 16 points (9+7) in his last 18 games dating back to March 31.
  • His nine goals are second on the team in that span, trailing only Sam Reinhart (11) and ties Reinhart for the team lead in points.
• Dylan Cozens has seven assists since April 11, which ranks second among rookies.
• Since making his NHL debut on April 9, Arttu Ruotsalainen is tied for fourth among rookies in goals (5) and tied for ninth in points (6).
• Entering play Sunday, the Sabres were the least-penalized team in the NHL with 6:23 of penalty time per game. Buffalo’s 332 total penalty minutes are the fewest in the NHL.

BACK-TO-BACK

Today’s game begins the final of Buffalo’s 14 sets of back-to-back games this season, which wraps up tomorrow night in Buffalo against the Islanders. The Sabres are 3-10-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 3-9-1 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in previous back-to-back sets is: four points (0), three points (1), two points (5), one point (0) and zero points (7).

SAM I AM

• Sam Reinhart enters tonight’s game with 11 points (9+2) in his last nine games dating back to April 15. His nine goals since April 15 leads the NHL.
• Reinhart recorded 15 points (10+5) in 16 games during the month of April, leading the team in both goals and points during that stretch.
  • Reinhart tied for fifth in the NHL with 10 goals during the month of April.
• Reinhart has 23 goals in 50 games this season, two shy of tying his career high, which he set in 82 games during the 2017-18 season. It’s the fastest he has reached the 20-goal mark in his career. He is one of 15 players in franchise history to have at least five 20-goal seasons with the Sabres.
• His 15 road goals this season are tied for the most in the NHL and he is tied for fourth in the league with 10 power-play goals.
• Reinhart is one of eight players in the league this season to score double digit even-strength and power-play goals.
• Outside of a stretch from March 11 to 18, Reinhart has not gone more than two consecutive games without a point this season.

ALL DAHLED UP

• Rasmus Dahlin has recorded 11 points (3+8) in 16 games dating back to April 3. Dahlin ranks in the top 10 among all NHL defensemen in goals (T-4th), and points (T-7th) during that stretch.
• Dahlin’s eight even-strength points (3+5) since April 3 are tied for ninth in the league among defensemen.
• He currently ranks among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (12th), .46 A/GP (5th) and .55 PTS/GP (5th).

RISTO IN THE RECORD BOOK

• With his goal on April 6 at New Jersey, Rasmus Ristolainen took sole possession of the eighth-most goals by a defenseman in Sabres history. He now trails Richard Smehlik by one goal for seventh-most.
• Ristolainen’s first assist on Jan. 24 at Washington moved him past Jim Schoenfeld for the seventh-most career points recorded by a Sabres defenseman. He currently trails Bill Hajt by three points for sixth-most.
• Ristolainen holds the franchise record for most overtime goals by a defenseman (4) and is tied for ninth all-time among the team’s blueliners with six game-winning goals.
• Ristolainen’s career per-game output ranks him among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (14th), .36 A/GP (15th), .45 PTS/GP (14th)

BUF-NYI CONNECTIONS

• Sabres forward Anders Bjork played for Team USA at the 2017 IIHF World Championship with Islanders forward Brock Nelson.
• Sabres forward Cody Eakin won a silver medal for Team Canada with Islanders forward Casey Cizikas at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and Islanders forward Leo Komarov both played for Finland’s National Team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Sabres forward Jeff Skinner and Islanders forward Jordan Eberle played for Team Canada together at three consecutive IIHF World Championships: in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Islanders forwards Cal Clutterbuck and Travis Zajac were also on the 2011 roster.
• Jeff Skinner won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Championship. Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz was one of Canada’s assistant coaches at the tournament.
• Sabres forward Sam Reinhart played for Team Canada with Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Islanders director of goaltending Mitch Korn was the Sabres’ goaltending coach from 1990-91 to 1997-98.
• Islanders assistant video coordinator Corey Smith was the Sabres’ video coach in 2014-15 and 2015-16. He is the brother of current Sabres video coordinator Kyle Smith and the son of former Sabre Derek Smith.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league-leaders entering play Sunday)

• Reinhart: 10 PPG (T-4th)
• Ristolainen: 176 Hits (4th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (176), Miller (86), Dahlin (74)
Blocked Shots: Ristolainen (60), Miller (50), Jokiharju (44)
Shots: Reinhart (120), Olofsson (118), Dahlin (105)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 4-4-2 (10), 30/32, 12/39, 19/23
11-20: 2-7-1 (5), 16/28, 7/23, 18/23
21-30: 0-9-1 (1), 18/45, 0/14, 18/26
31-40: 3-5-2 (8), 28/35, 3/23, 28/34
41-50: 4-5-1 (9), 29/32, 6/33, 17/22
51-56: 0-2-0 (0), 4/11, 0/4, 4/6

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-4; 126-138 all-time)
Jan. 28 vs. NYR: L, 3-2 (GWG-Lafrenière, 2:47)
Feb. 25 vs. NJD: L, 4-3 (GWG-Zacha, 1:17)
March 29 vs. PHI: L 4-3 (GWG-Provorov, 0:42)
April 1 vs. NYR: L 3-2 (GWG Zibanejad, 4:32)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (3-3; 80-74 all-time)
Jan. 22 at WSH: L, 4-3 (GDG-Carlson)
Jan. 24 at WSH: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
Jan. 30 vs. NJD: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
March 9 at PHI: L 5-4 (GDG-Couturier)
April 3 vs. NYR: W 3-2 (GDG-Thompson)
April 13 at BOS: L 3-2 (GDG-Coyle)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Games Played
Rasmus Dahlin … 7 games … 200 career games
Goals
Rasmus Ristolainen … 1 goal … 47 career goals (T-7^th in franchise history, defensemen)
Assists
Rasmus Ristolainen … 5 assists … 200 career assists
Colin Miller … 7 assists … 100 career assists
Points
Sam Reinhart … 8 points … 300 career points

RECENT MILESTONES
N/A

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Saturday, March 6
Buffalo 2 at NY Islanders 5
Goals: Bryson, Reinhart
Goalie: Hutton (24 saves/29 shots)
PP: 0/1; PK: 0/0; Shots: NY Islanders 29 – Buffalo 22

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 75)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 22 games
William Borgen (forearm, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 8 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 8 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, Feb. 27; injured reserve) – 5 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
3/1: Reassigned D Brandon Davidson to the taxi squad
3/2: Recalled D Jacob Bryson from the taxi squad; Loaned F Casey Mittelstadt to the taxi squad
3/7: Recalled D Brandon Davidson and F Casey Mittelstadt from the taxi squad; Loaned D Henri Jokiharju to the taxi squad.

UPCOMING GAMES
Tuesday, March 9: Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 11: Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 13: Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Monday, March 15: Washington at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 16: Buffalo at New Jersey, 7 p.m.

TODAY’S GAME
SABRES at ISLANDERS

• This is the sixth of eight meetings between the Sabres and Islanders this season.
• Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo 5-2 in New York on March 6.
• Next meeting: Monday, May 3 in Buffalo
• The Sabres are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Islanders; 2-6-2 on the road.
• This is the 179th game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has an 82-71-25 series record.
• The Sabres are 36-40-13 on the road against the Islanders all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 8-10-6 all-time on March 7.
• March 7, 2002: Martin Biron turns aside 26 New York Islanders shots to earn the first of two shutouts on back-to-back nights, a feat he would complete with another 26-save performance the following night against Montreal.
• March 7, 2016: Jack Eichel becomes the youngest Sabre ever to reach the 20-goal mark (19 years, 131 days) with his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Buffalo’s penalty kill is 22-for-25 (88.0%) in the team’s last 14 games against the Islanders.
• The Sabres have killed off 11 consecutive penalties and have not surrendered a power-play goal in five straight games. If the team remains perfect on the penalty kill today, it will be the first time since Dec. 4 to 16, 2018 that Buffalo played six consecutive games without allowing a power-play goal.
• Taylor Hall has recorded 19 points (10+9) in 21 games against the Islanders dating back to the beginning of the 2013-14 season.
• Jack Eichel has totaled 12 points (3+9) in 13 meetings with the Islanders since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
• Victor Olofsson has four points (2+2) in five career road games against the Islanders. Olofsson scored the first goal of his NHL career against the Islanders March 30, 2019.

THREE IN A ROW

• Today’s matchup is the third game of three straight against the Islanders. This series marks the first time the Sabres will play a team three straight times in the same regular season in franchise history.
• Buffalo has previously played the same opponent in three straight regular-season games on four occasions by wrapping up one season and beginning the next against the same team: Montreal (1987-88 and 1988-89), Quebec (1981-82 and 1982-83; 1991-92 and 1992-93) and Washington (2019-20 and 2020-21).
• The Sabres have previously played the same team three times in a 10-day period just 15 times in franchise history. Before doing so against New Jersey in February, Buffalo had never played the same team three times in a seven-day span.

BACK-TO-BACK
Today’s game wraps up Buffalo’s seventh of 12 sets of back-to-back games this season, which began with a 5-2 loss yesterday at New York. The Sabres are 2-5-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 1-5-0 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in previous back-to-back sets is: four points (0), three points (0), two points (3), one point (0) and zero points (3).

POWER UP

• After yesterday’s game, Buffalo ranked third in the NHL with a 2 percent conversion rate on the power play.
• The Sabres have scored at least one power-play goal in 11 of their last 17 games, going 16-for-46 (34.8%) during that stretch.
• At the conclusion of Saturday’s game, the Sabres were tied with the Carolina Hurricanes and trailed only the Chicago Blackhawks (11) for the NHL lead with 10 different players with at least one goal on the power play.
• Victor Olofsson tied for fourth in the league with six power-play goals and tied for fourth with 12 power-play points after Saturday’s game. His 19 career power-play tallies trail only David Pastrnak (23), Leon Draisaitl (21) and Auston Matthews (20) for the most in the league since he made his NHL debut on March 28, 2019.

OUT OF THE BOX

• After Saturday’s game, the Sabres were the least-penalized team in the NHL with 5:10 of penalty time per game.
• At plus-15 (68 drawn/53 taken), the Sabres tied the Colorado Avalanche for the best penalty differential in the league.
• Buffalo has been assessed 53 penalties this season. At the conclusion of Saturday’s game, it marked the fewest in the league and was 13 penalties fewer than the next closest team, the New Jersey Devils.

STAAL-TIME LEADERS

• Eric Staal scored his 439th career goal on Jan. 30 vs. New Jersey to pass Gary Roberts and improve to 68th on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list. His next goal will tie Rick Tocchet for 67th.
• Among active players, Staal’s total of 439 career regular-season goals trails only Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Marleau, and Sidney Crosby.
• With 1,029 career points, Staal is currently tied with Alex Kovalev for 80th-most points in NHL history and trails Alexander Mogilny by three points for 79th.

WE LIKE EICH

• Jack Eichel’s goal on Jan. 28 vs. NY Rangers moved him past Jochen Hecht for sole possession of the 19th-most goals in franchise history (139). He currently trails Drew Stafford by six goals for 18th.
• Eichel’s career per-game output ranks in the franchise’s top 15 in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .37 G/GP (T-15th), .57 A/GP (10th), .95 PTS/GP (11th)

RISTO IN THE RECORD BOOK

• With his goal on March. 4 at the NY Islanders, Rasmus Ristolainen moved into a tie with Tyler Myers and Jom Schoenfeld for the eighth-most goals by a defenseman in Sabres history. He now trails Richard Smehlik by two goals for seventh-most.
• Ristolainen’s first assist on Jan. 24 at Washington moved him past Jim Schoenfeld for the seventh-most career points recorded by a Sabres defenseman. He currently trails Bill Hajt by nine points for sixth-most.
• Ristolainen holds the franchise record for most overtime goals by a defenseman (4) and is tied for ninth all-time among the team’s blueliners with six game-winning goals.
• Ristolainen’s career per-game output ranks him among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (12th), .37 A/GP (12th), .46 PTS/GP (11th)

BUF-NYI CONNECTIONS

• Sabres forward Kyle Okposo played for the Islanders from 2007-08 to 2015-16 after being drafted in by the team with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. Okposo totaled 369 points (139+230) in 529 games with the Islanders.
• Islanders director of goaltending Mitch Korn was the Sabres’ goaltending coach from 1990-91 to 1997-98.
• Islanders assistant video coordinator Corey Smith was the Sabres video coach in 2014-15 and 2015-16. He is the brother of current Sabres video coordinator Kyle Smith and the son of former Sabre Derek Smith.
• Sabres forward Cody Eakin won a silver medal for Team Canada with Islanders forward Casey Cizikas at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Sabres forward Jack Eichel and Islanders forwards Anders Lee and Brock Nelson all played for Team USA at both the 2015 and 2017 IIHF World Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2015.
• Sabres forward Taylor Hall and Islanders forward Jordan Eberle were teammates in Edmonton for six seasons (2010-11 to 2015-16).
• Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and Islanders forward Leo Komarov both played for Finland’s National Team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Sabres forward Jeff Skinner and Islanders forward Jordan Eberle played for Team Canada together at three consecutive IIHF World Championships: in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck was also on the 2011 roster and Sabres forward Eric Staal played with the duo in 2013.
• Jeff Skinner won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Championship. Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz was one of Canada’s assistant coaches at the tournament.
• Sabres forwards Curtis Lazar and Sam Reinhart played for Team Canada with Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings after Saturday’s game)

• Buffalo Sabres:2% PP% (3rd), 52.3% FOW% (9th)
• Olofsson: 12 PPP (T-4th), 6 PPG (T-4th)
• Reinhart: 5 PPG (T-10th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (56), Miller (44), Lazar (43)
Blocked Shots: Montour (23), Miller (22), Irwin (19)
Shots: Eichel (60), Hall (57), Dahlin/Olofsson (50)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 4-4-2 (10), 30/32, 12/39, 19/23
11-20: 2-7-1 (5), 16/28, 7/23, 18/23
21-30: 0-2-0 (0), 4/10, 0/1, 3/3

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-2; 126-136 all-time)
Jan. 28 vs. NYR: L, 3-2 (GWG-Lafrenière, 2:47)
Feb. 25 vs. NJD: L, 4-3 (GWG-Zacha, 1;17)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (2-1; 79-72 all-time)
Jan. 22 at WSH: L, 4-3 (GDG-Carlson)
Jan. 24 at WSH: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
Jan. 30 vs. NJD: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Goals
Rasmus Ristolainen … 2 goals … 47 career goals (T-7^th in franchise history, defensemen)
Kyle Okposo … 4 goals … 200 career goals
Assists
Riley Sheahan … 1 assist … 100 career assists
Colin Miller … 10 assists … 100 career assists
Eric Staal … 10 assists … 600 career assists
Points
Brandon Montour … 5 points … 100 career points
Rasmus Dahlin … 6 points … 100 career points
Wins
Carter Hutton … 6 wins … 100 career wins 

RECENT MILESTONES
Jacob Bryson … First career NHL goal … March 6 at NY Islanders
Rasmus Ristolainen … 45 career goals (T-8th in franchise history, defensemen) … March 4 at NY Islanders

GAME-DAY RESOURCES

LAST GAME
Thursday, March 4
Buffalo 2 at NY Islanders 5
Goals: Hall, Ristolainen
Goalie: Johansson (40 saves/45 shots)
PP: 0/0; PK: 3/3; Shots: Buffalo 18 – NY Islanders 45

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 71)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Zemgus Girgensons (hamstring, Jan. 14; injured reserve) – 21 games
William Borgen (forearm, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 7 games
Jake McCabe (knee, Feb. 22; injured reserve) – 7 games
Linus Ullmark (lower body, Feb. 27; injured reserve) – 4 games

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
2/28: Recalled D Brandon Davidson from the taxi squad and F C.J. Smith from Rochester (AHL) to the taxi squad; Loaned D Jacob Bryson to the taxi squad; Reassigned D Casey Fitzgerald from the taxi squad to Rochester (AHL)
3/1: Reassigned D Brandon Davidson to the taxi squad
3/2: Recalled D Jacob Bryson from the taxi squad; Loaned F Casey Mittelstadt to the taxi squad

UPCOMING GAMES
Sunday, March 7: Buffalo at NY Islanders, 12 p.m.
Tuesday, March 9: Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 11: Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 13: Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 15: Washington at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TODAY’S GAME
SABRES at ISLANDERS

• This is the fifth of eight meetings between the Sabres and Islanders this season.
• Last meeting: New York defeated Buffalo 5-2 in New York on March 4, 2021.
• Next meeting: Sunday, March 7 in New York
• The Sabres are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Islanders; 2-6-2 on the road.
• This is the 178th game all-time between Buffalo and New York; Buffalo has an 82-70-25 series record.
• The Sabres are 36-39-13 on the road against the Islanders all-time.

THIS DATE IN SABRES HISTORY

• The Sabres are 15-5-5 all-time on March 6.
• March 6, 1988: Phil Housley records his 400th point as a member of the Sabres, reaching a milestone in the sixth of his eight seasons with the Sabres that no other Buffalo defenseman has matched.
• March 6, 1994: The Sabres earn the 900th win in franchise history, as Dominik Hasek stops 43 shots in Detroit on the night Terry Sawchuk’s number is raised to the rafters.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• Buffalo’s penalty kill is 22-for-25 (88.0%) in the team’s last 13 games against the Islanders.
• The Sabres have killed off 11 consecutive penalties and have not surrendered a power-play goal in four straight games. If the team remains perfect on the penalty kill today, it will be the first time this season and first since Feb. 19, 2019 to Feb. 26, 2019 that Buffalo played five consecutive games without allowing a power-play goal.
• Taylor Hall has recorded 19 points (10+9) in 20 games against the Islanders dating back to the beginning of the 2013-14 season.
• Jack Eichel has totaled 11 points (3+8) in 12 meetings with the Islanders since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
• Victor Olofsson has three points (2+1), all on the power-play, in four career road games against the Islanders. Olofsson scored the first goal of his NHL career against the Islanders March 30, 2019.
• Entering play Friday, Riley Sheahan ranked 4th among all players with at least 75 faceoffs taken this season with a win percentage of 60.4 percent (84-for-139).

THREE IN A ROW

• Today’s matchup is the second game of three straight against the Islanders. This series marks the first time the Sabres will play a team three straight times in the same regular season in franchise history.
• Buffalo has previously played the same opponent in three straight regular-season games on four occasions by wrapping up one season and beginning the next against the same team: Montreal (1987-88 and 1988-89), Quebec (1981-82 and 1982-83; 1991-92 and 1992-93) and Washington (2019-20 and 2020-21).
• The Sabres have previously played the same team three times in a 10-day period just 15 times in franchise history. Before doing so against New Jersey in February, Buffalo had never played the same team three times in a seven-day span.

CONNECTIONS

• Sabres forward Kyle Okposo played for the Islanders from 2007-08 to 2015-16 after being drafted in by the team with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. Okposo totaled 369 points (139+230) in 529 games with the Islanders.
• Islanders director of goaltending Mitch Korn was the Sabres’ goaltending coach from 1990-91 to 1997-98.
• Islanders assistant video coordinator Corey Smith was the Sabres video coach in 2014-15 and 2015-16. He is the brother of current Sabres video coordinator Kyle Smith and the son of former Sabre Derek Smith.
• Sabres forward Cody Eakin won a silver medal for Team Canada with Islanders forward Casey Cizikas at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship.
• Sabres forward Jack Eichel and Islanders forwards Anders Lee and Brock Nelson all played for Team USA at both the 2015 and 2017 IIHF World Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2015.
• Sabres forward Taylor Hall and Islanders forward Jordan Eberle were teammates in Edmonton for six seasons (2010-11 to 2015-16).
• Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and Islanders forward Leo Komarov both played for Finland’s National Team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
• Sabres forward Jeff Skinner and Islanders forward Jordan Eberle played for Team Canada together at three consecutive IIHF World Championships: in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck was also on the 2011 roster and Sabres forward Eric Staal played with the duo in 2013.
• Jeff Skinner won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Championship. Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz was one of Canada’s assistant coaches at the tournament.
• Sabres forwards Curtis Lazar and Sam Reinhart played for Team Canada with Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship.

POWER UP

• Buffalo entered play Friday ranked third in the NHL with a 7 percent conversion rate on the power play.
• The Sabres have scored at least one power-play goal in 11 of their last 16 games, going 16-for-45 (35.6%) during that stretch.
• Entering play Friday, the Sabres were tied with the Carolina Hurricanes and trailed only the Chicago Blackhawks (11) for the NHL lead with 10 different players with at least one goal on the power play.
• Victor Olofsson entered play Friday tied for fourth in the league with six power-play goals and tied for fourth with 12 power-play points. His 19 career power-play tallies trail only David Pastrnak (23), Leon Draisaitl (21) and Auston Matthews (20) for the most in the league since he made his NHL debut on March 28, 2019.

OUT OF THE BOX

• Entering play Friday, the Sabres were the least-penalized team in the NHL with 5:25 of penalty time per game.
• At plus-14 (67 drawn/53 taken), the Sabres tied the Colordao Avalanche for the best penalty differential in the league.
• Buffalo has been assessed 48 minor penalties this season. Entering play Friday, it marked the fewest in the league and was three fewer than the next closest team, the Vegas Golden Knights.

STAAL-TIME LEADERS

• Eric Staal scored his 439th career goal on Jan. 30 vs. New Jersey to pass Gary Roberts and improve to 68th on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list. His next goal will tie Rick Tocchet for 67th.
• Among active players, Staal’s total of 439 career regular-season goals trails only Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Marleau, and Sidney Crosby.
• With 1,029 career points, Staal is currently tied with Alex Kovalev for 80th-most points in NHL history and trails Alexander Mogilny by three points for 79th.

WE LIKE EICH

• Jack Eichel’s goal on Jan. 28 vs. NY Rangers moved him past Jochen Hecht for sole possession of the 19th-most goals in franchise history (139). He currently trails Drew Stafford by six goals for 18th.
• Eichel’s career per-game output ranks in the franchise’s top 15 in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .37 G/GP (T-15th), .57 A/GP (10th), .95 PTS/GP (11th)

RISTO IN THE RECORD BOOK

• With his goal on March. 4 at the NY Islanders, Rasmus Ristolainen moved into a tie with Tyler Myers and Jom Schoenfeld for the eighth-most goals by a defenseman in Sabres history. He now trails Richard Smehlik by two goals for seventh-most.
• Ristolainen’s first assist on Jan. 24 at Washington moved him past Jim Schoenfeld for the seventh-most career points recorded by a Sabres defenseman. He currently trails Bill Hajt by nine points for sixth-most.
• Ristolainen holds the franchise record for most overtime goals by a defenseman (4) and is tied for ninth all-time among the team’s blueliners with six game-winning goals.
• Ristolainen’s career per-game output ranks him among the franchise’s top 15 defensemen in every major scoring category (min. 82 GP): .09 G/GP (T-11th), .37 A/GP (T-12th), .46 PTS/GP (11th)

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings entering play Monday)

• Buffalo Sabres:7% PP% (3rd), 81.6% PK% (9th) 52.3% FOW% (10th)
• Olofsson: 12 PPP (T-4th), 6 PPG (T-4th)
• Reinhart: 5 PPG (T-9th)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Ristolainen (52), Miller (41), Lazar (40)
Blocked Shots: Montour (23), Miller (21), Irwin (18)
Shots: Eichel (57), Hall (56), Dahlin (49)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK] 1-10: 4-4-2 (10), 30/32, 12/39, 19/23
11-20: 2-7-1 (5), 16/28, 7/23, 18/23
21-30: 0-1-0 (0), 2/5, 0/0, 3/3

OVERTIME RESULTS (0-2; 126-136 all-time)
Jan. 28 vs. NYR: L, 3-2 (GWG-Lafrenière, 2:47)
Feb. 25 vs. NJD: L, 4-3 (GWG-Zacha, 1;17)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (2-1; 79-72 all-time)
Jan. 22 at WSH: L, 4-3 (GDG-Carlson)
Jan. 24 at WSH: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)
Jan. 30 vs. NJD: W, 4-3 (GDG-Eichel)

MILESTONES APPROACHING (Player … Needs … Milestone)
Goals
Rasmus Ristolainen … 2 goals … 47 career goals (T-7^th in franchise history, defensemen)
Kyle Okposo … 4 goals … 200 career goals

Assists
Riley Sheahan … 1 assist … 100 career assists
Colin Miller … 10 assists … 100 career assists
Eric Staal … 10 assists … 600 career assists

Points
Brandon Montour … 6 points … 100 career points
Rasmus Dahlin … 7 points … 100 career points

Wins
Carter Hutton … 6 wins … 100 career wins

RECENT MILESTONES
Rasmus Ristolainen … 45 career goals (T-8th in franchise history, defensemen) … March 4 at NY Islanders