The Buffalo Sabres have had a strong start to their season, putting them in a good position to break one of the longest playoff droughts in NHL history.
On the other hand, the New York Islanders are struggling, and it’s becoming hard for them to shake off their recent bad luck.
The Sabres will try to stay in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings, while the Islanders will look to fix their third-period struggles when the two teams meet in Elmont, N.Y., on Saturday night.
Both teams will be playing their second game in as many nights after losing in overtime on Friday. The Sabres lost 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks, and the Islanders blew a third-period lead, losing 5-4 to the Washington Capitals.
Even with the loss, the Sabres are feeling positive, having gone 7-3-1 in their last 11 games. They are one of five teams within two points of the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots. Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season.
On Friday, the Sabres managed to earn a point after coming back from a two-goal deficit in the third period against the Canucks. They outshot Vancouver 34-22 overall.
The Sabres also outshot the Minnesota Wild — who have the second-most points in the Western Conference — 39-29 in a 1-0 loss on Wednesday.
“We played with desperation, and that’s what this team has,” said center Dylan Cozens, who scored Buffalo’s first goal in the third period. “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.”
The Islanders, who have lost eight of their last 10 games (2-4-4), are becoming desperate to fix their third-period problems. On Friday, they led 4-2 going into the third period but lost after allowing three unanswered goals. This is the seventh time this season they’ve lost after holding a lead going into the final period.
In their 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, the Islanders allowed three goals in the third period. They were outshot 9-3 in the third period and overtime on Friday.
The Islanders also failed to generate any shots during a power play late in regulation when Nic Dowd was called for slashing with 3:50 left.
Even though the Islanders are only three points out of a wild-card spot, they are tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are ahead of only the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, who both have two games in hand.
“Same story,” said Islanders left winger Matt Martin. “We continue to find ways to lose. It’s not good enough. I think we just shoot ourselves in the foot a lot. We’re just not taking advantage of big moments in games.”
