Game Preview: Islanders vs Sabres

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (14-6-4) VS BUFFALO SABRES (6-13-3)
12PM | NASSAU COLISEUM
WATCH: NBC | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New Islanders and Buffalo Sabres meet for the third time in as many games - and finish off a back-to-back - when the teams face off at Nassau Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
The Islanders beat the Sabres 5-2 on both Thursday night and Saturday afternoon, doing so with balanced scoring and tight defense. Thirteen Islanders hit the scoresheet on Saturday, and New York has limited Buffalo to single-digit shots in five of the past six periods.

The Islanders are 5-0-0 against the Sabres this season and eight-in-a-row vs the Sabres dating back to last season. Overall, the Islanders enter Sunday's action on a four-game winning streak, as well as a seven-game point streak (6-0-1).

Video: Islanders Fans in Brazil

ISLANDERS WORLD WIDE:

Isles Nation has gone international.
Sunday is the Islanders Global Supporters Game, a celebration of Islanders fans around the globe. The team has spotlighted international fans, from Brazil, to Germany, France and the UK throughout the week.
"It's awesome," To see that our game has that kind of reach and then for us as Islanders to pick up some fans out there, it's great. We love their support and that's what part of what makes hockey so special is that anyone can watch a game and get hooked pretty quickly. If they ever have a chance to see one live, it's pretty similar. It says a lot about hockey and what it brings to people."
Sunday's game is also being broadcast as the NHL's European Game of the Week. Broadcast information - as well as the NHL's worldwide broadcast partners can be found here.
For fans around the world, the team launched a new second screen experience called HomeIce, which features exclusive content, live look-ins from warmups and brings the Coliseum experience into your living room.
Check it out here
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ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Head Coach Barry Trotz did not reveal his goalie for Sunday, but Ilya Sorokin could see action on the second half of a back-to-back, as the Isles have split starts this season. Sorokin has won his last three starts, including a pair of wins over the Sabres. The Russian rookie is 3-2-1 this season with a 2.16 GAA, a .909 SV% and two shutouts.
  - Mathew Barzal is riding a three-game point streak after scoring a goal-of-the-year candidate on Saturday afternoon. Barzal raced up the ice, knocked away Rasmus Ristolainen and went between his own legs before scoring on Carter Hutton to tie the score 1-1. Anders Lee said postgame that Barzal's goal lit a fire under the Islanders.
  The 23-year-old also added an assist giving him four points in his past three games. Barzal leads the Islanders with 22 points (9G, 11A) in 24 games this season.
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  - The Islanders are 11-2-4 in their last 17 games and have won nine straight against teams who are not the Pittsburgh Penguins.
  - The Islanders are 9-0-2 at the Coliseum this season and are the only team without a regulation loss at home. Per The Skinny, the Islanders 20 points match the most in the first 11 home games in club history; it is also only the second time in club history that they have opened the season with points in 11 straight.
  - Per The Skinny, the Isles have outscored their opponents 27-14 in the third period; the +13 differential is the best in the NHL.

SABRES NOTES:

• The Sabres juggled their lines for Saturday's contest, uniting superstars Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall and 2019 first-round pick Dylan Cozens.
  - Jacob Bryson scored his first-career goal on Saturday, beating Semyon Varlamov through a screen 33 seconds into the game. The 2017 fourth-round pick has one goal in six NHL games.
  - The Sabres are winless in their last six games (0-5-1) and are 2-9-1 since their COVID pause.
  - Sam Reinhart (9G, 8A), Victor Olofsson (7G, 10A) and Jack Eichel (2G, 15A) are all tied atop the Sabres leaderboard with 17 points each. Reinhart leads the team in goals while Eichel leads the team in assists.
  - A Sabres goalie has not been announced for Sunday's game. Jonas Johansson could be in line to start the second half of the back-to-back, with Linus Ullmark out with a lower-body injury and Carter Hutton having started on Saturday. Johansson stopped 40-of-45 shots against the Islanders on Thursday.