New York Islanders vs. Buffalo Sabres [Game 31 thread]

It’s a meeting of the Eastern Conference’s second-place teams, as the Islanders (21-7-2, 2nd in the Metro) host the Buffalo Sabres (16-11-6, 2nd in the Atlantic) in a 1 p.m. start at Nassau Coliseum.

Both teams’ away records are nowhere near as impressive as their home records, to what extent that matters. So you might give the favorite nod to the Isles (12-2-1 at home, including 11-0-1 in their last 12 across both home venues) over the Sabres (6-8-3 on the road).

Jack Eichel arrives riding a 15-game points streak (14-13-27 over that span).

Kyle Okposo has played in four games since his most recent concussion, scoring two goals since his return.

By rotation, expect Semyon Varlamov in goal for the Islanders, but any other updates will be filtering out closer to the mid-day start.

Check our sibling site Die By The Blade for the latest from Sabres.