November 30

NEW YORK – The Buffalo Sabres visit the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Saturday to complete a back-to-back set of games.

The Sabres are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks at home on Friday. They are 7-3-1 in their last 11 games after opening November with a pair of regulation losses – the first of which was a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Islanders.

The Islanders also lost 5-4 in overtime in Washington on Friday.

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m.)

Streaming (out of market): ESPN+

Radio: WGR 550

Lineup notes (updated 6:20 p.m.)

Sam Lafferty will be out after sustaining a lower-body injury during Friday's game, coach Lindy Ruff confirmed. Tyson Kozak was recalled on Friday night but will not be in the lineup, meaning Nicolas Aube-Kubel will likely step in for Lafferty at forward.

Storylines

1. About last night

The Sabres trailed the Canucks 3-1 during the third period, a deficit that started after Dylan Cozens was assessed a double-minor penalty for holding and unsportsmanlike conduct. The Canucks broke a 1-1 tie on the ensuing power play.

Cozens took ownership of the mistake and quickly made amends. He had a goal and an assist just 1:39 apart to erase the two-goal deficit and usher the Sabres to overtime, salvaging a hard-fought point against a Western Conference contender.

"We played with desperation and that's what this team has,” Cozens said. “We don't have any quit, we're going to battle until the last buzzer and we're going to keep fighting until the game's over."

Read more in Friday’s Postgame Report.

2. Back-to-back

The Sabres can point to their most recent back-to-back set as a template to follow on Saturday. Following an overtime win in Anaheim and a late night of travel to San Jose, the Sabres gutted out a win over the Sharks in which they blocked 16 shots, capitalized on offensive opportunities, and were backed by steady goaltending from Reimer.

“We need to be able to battle on those back to backs, we need to be good against teams that are playing with a lot of passion, a lot of willpower,” alternate captain Alex Tuch said after that game. “We had all 20 guys going tonight, so it was good.”

3. Scouting the Islanders

The Islanders remain in the thick of the crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture despite a long list of injuries and a 1-4-2 record in their last seven games. They sit two points behind the Sabres, albeit with one more game played.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who scored in the first meeting between the Sabres and Islanders at the start of the month, missed Friday’s game in Washington and is considered day to day. He joined a list of injured forwards that already included last season’s leading point scorer, Mathew Barzal, as well as offseason addition Anthony Duclair.

New York’s recent slide has also been a product of special teams. The Islanders have the league’s last-ranked power play (11.9 percent) and 31st-ranked penalty kill (68.6 percent).

Ilya Sorokin, who made 32 saves in the previous meeting with the Sabres, is expected to start in goal.

Game notes

  • Bowen Byram’s goal on Friday was his 14th even-strength point of the season, tied for fifth among NHL defensemen. Owen Power is tied for third in that category with 15.
  • Rasmus Dahlin remains one goal shy of tying Mike Ramsey for second-most career goals by a defenseman in Sabres history, with 73. Phil Housley holds the record with 178.
  • Cozens has nine points (5+4) in his last nine games against the Islanders, including a goal in the first meeting between the two teams this season.
  • Tuch has 10 points (4+6) in the last eight games after scoring the tying goal on Friday. He leads the Sabres with 22 points this season.