With McCabe out, Nelson will see more opportunity vs. Isles

With Jake McCabe out three to four weeks after undergoing surgery on his thumb and Johan Larsson returning from a two-game suspension, the Buffalo Sabres will take the ice with a new-look lineup when they conclude their five-game homestand against the New York Islanders on Thursday.
The injury to McCabe, which occurred in the first period of Buffalo's overtime loss to Anaheim on Tuesday, opens the door for other defensemen to increase their impact. McCabe was one of two Sabres defensemen - along with Marco Scandella - to play every game this season and ranked fifth on the team with an average ice time of 19:30.
In his absence, Josh Gorges and Victor Antipin are both expected to return to the lineup after sitting as healthy scratches on Tuesday (Justin Falk, who did play against Anaheim, is expected to be scratched). There might also me more opportunity for Casey Nelson, who was promoted to play on a pair with Scandella.

Nelson, 25, has impressed enough to remain in the lineup since making his season debut on Jan. 18. He recorded his first point of the season with an assist on Tuesday.
"I just like the way he's moving the puck and defending," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "He's trying to keep the game simple. His first pass is usually really good and on the tape. … He's trying to keep his inside position, especially against bigger players."
Housley has also praised Nelson's ability to get shots through in the offensive zone, a talent we broke down here last week.
"Either it's there right away and shoot, or sometimes I think we have a little bit more time than we think," Nelson said. "If I can get them off their edges and try to sway them one way or another, that's kind of what we're looking for."
Scandella has spent most of this season playing on a pair with Rasmus Ristolainen, who will instead spend Thursday playing alongside Nathan Beaulieu. Ristolainen's average time on ice of 26:45 ranks third in the NHL, but Housley said he'd like to keep the defenseman around 24 or 25 minutes per night.
Housley said that Ristolainen's play has dipped as of late but added that the defenseman is aware of where he needs to improve.
"He understands he hasn't played well since the All-Star break," Housley said. "He puts enough pressure on himself. I have no problem with the way he's been competing down low and battling, I think just execution and passes and getting shots to the net has to be better."

At forward, Larsson's return combined with the presence of Jacob Josefson (who returned from a lower-body injury on Feb. 1) solidifies the Sabres down the middle and allows them to move Evan Rodrigues to the wing. Rodrigues will play opposite Sam Reinhart on a line centered by Jack Eichel, his old linemate at Boston University.
Rodrigues was a senior for the Terriers during Eichel's lone collegiate season, and the two played on the same line in route to an appearance in the NCAA championship game.
"We kind of knew where each other were all over the ice," Rodrigues said. "We seemed to click, seemed to be able to make plays kind of without looking. We kind of had a mutual respect for each other and just happened to make plays."
Rodrigues returned to the lineup on Tuesday after sitting as a healthy scratch in the game prior. He has yet to find the back of the net in 21 games since his two-goal performance in St. Louis on Dec. 10, but Housley said he was pleased with what he saw against the Ducks.
"Just keep building on that," Housley said. "I think, talking to him after he was out, he knows he has to get his urgency back to the way he started playing when he came in a long time ago against Colorado. He commanded the puck, he had more attitude in battles and more of a take-charge mentality."
Robin Lehner is expected to start in net for the Sabres, who will be wearing their Winter Classic jerseys for the first of three games at KeyBank Center this season. They will also wear them against Washington on Monday, Feb. 19 and against Ottawa on Wednesday, April 4.
Coverage on MSG-B begins at 6:30 p.m. with the GMC Game Night Pregame Show, or you can listen live on WGR 550. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7.

Scouting the Islanders

The Sabres enter the night in search of 5-on-5 goals, with none in four games on their current homestand. They should have an opportunity to score against the Islanders, who have given up a league-high 3.63 goals and 35.6 shots per game.
Playing without Calvin de Haan, Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield on defense, the Islanders have given up totals of 40, 50, 49 and 47 shots in their last four games.
"I think one area that we have to look at is their defense," Housley said. "Pretty banged up back there, and they've been giving up a lot of shots the last few games … just telling our guys to have that shot mentality and try to create offense that way."
New York is tied for the second wild card berth despite those numbers thanks to their ability to put up goals of their own. The Islanders rank third in the NHL with an average of 3.30 goals per game, led by John Tavares' team-high 59 points (27+32). Anders Lee is tied for the team lead with 27 goals, while Josh Bailey leads with 44 assists.
Mathew Barzal, 20, leads all rookies in points (53) and assists (37).
"They're a very, very good rush team," Housley said. "They can capitalize off the rush. Offensively, down low, they have a good cycle game, especially those top two lines with a lot of speed from Barzal and strength from Tavares and Bailey."
Jaroslav Halak is expected to start in net for New York.

Projected lineup

71 Evan Rodrigues - 15 Jack Eichel - 23 Sam Reinhart
9 Evander Kane - 90 Ryan O'Reilly - 21 Kyle Okposo
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 22 Johan Larsson - 29 Jason Pominville
67 Benoit Pouliot - 10 Jacob Josefson - 17 Jordan Nolan
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
6 Marco Scandella - 8 Casey Nelson
4 Josh Gorges - 93 Victor Antipin
40 Robin Lehner
31 Chad Johnson