The Islanders embarrassed themselves in a massive game on Monday night against the Penguins, but they have a chance to dust themselves off right away with a clash against the Sabres in Western New York on Tuesday evening.
With just seven games to go in the regular season, the Isles have to find a way to get at least a point out of this contest. The oddsmakers don’t like their chances.
The Isles are +162 underdogs against Buffalo at the time of writing.
Islanders vs. Sabres odds, predictions
The Islanders had seemingly started to make some strides defensively before Monday’s 8-3 mangling at the hands of the Penguins. Patrick Roy’s side put in two of its best defensive efforts of the season against the Blue Jackets and Stars last week, and they did a good job of tightening the hatches against the Panthers on Saturday.
That all came undone against Pittsburgh.
The Penguins were able to waltz over the blueline at will all game, and the Isles had no pushback. The team made no adjustments to stop the bleeding.
Part of the problem is personnel. With Tony DeAngelo and Alexander Romanov on the sidelines, the Isles are a patchwork on the backend right now. Carson Soucy hasn’t been a fit, Scott Mayfield is struggling, and Matthew Schaefer hasn’t figured out a way to play all 60 minutes of a game just yet.
The glass-half-full approach would be that the Isles would prioritize the defensive side of the puck after Monday’s effort, but the problem is that the Sabres are an offensive force.
Betting on the NHL?
Buffalo is seventh in the NHL in goals per game on the season, but only the Lightning have scored more than the Sabres since they fired general manager Kevyn Adams on Dec. 15, a span of 42 games.
The Sabres have speed, size, and a blueline that can zip the puck up the ice to spring rushes in the blink of an eye.
This could be another really long night at the office for the Islanders.
The Play: Sabres -1.5 (+130, FanDuel)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.