New York Islanders vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 4/23/2022

Time: 12:30 p.m. ET

Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY

Where to watch: MSG+, MSG-B

DraftKings: Check back later

BetMGM: Check back later

Caesars: Check back later

Islanders: 35-32-10

Sabres: 30-38-11

There was once a man named Owen Power, whose skating ability was nowhere near sour. If there were enough memes to discuss the power's on, it would be all ... something, something, I can't think of a rhyme for something simple for the word 'on.'

But you know who is on? Owen Power is on one after scoring his first NHL goal Thursday against the New Jersey Devils in a 5-2 win. Power's goal was just the latest on a short list of dominant happenings against the Devils. Two shorthanded goals, putting pucks by a goalie named after a hamburger and all the fun stuff you could ask for.

"It was pretty surreal," Power said. "It's obviously nice just to get it out of the way."

What a night for the young lad, but also what a night for the Sabres. They eclipsed the 70-point mark with the dominant win over the Devils and could finish really strong despite the whole Jack Eichel saga and everything else that came with it.

Power is part of that young core that is expected to lead this team into the next wave of Sabres, to help lead the charge going forward. Just imagine the time he and Rasmus Dahlin will play together, whether it's the power play or something else.

"It's great," Buffalo forward Kyle Okposo said. "He's such a talent and you could tell that he wanted it. The last few games, he's up in the play all the time, he's always around the net and making great plays, so it was just a matter of time before he was going to get it. Great place to do it."

The Sabres' third win in a row put them at 30 for the year, which seems really awesome for those cheering for this group.

"I loved our third period because we give up a goal, the first goal of the period, and then the game tightens up and we were pushing each other," Buffalo coach Don Granato said. "Everybody collectively, we just said, 'Let's go. Let's get another. Let's go after them. We're not going to sit on a one-goal lead.'"

I remember one time I ran into Dominik Hasek at a local pub in Buffalo. There was some hostility after Brett Hull's skate found the way in his crease and they lost the Stanley Cup. After the game he stomped toward Tim Horton's and had some Tim Bits and a coffee. I walked up to him and asked him why he let Brett Hull's skate in his crease? Man, did he get mad. I didn't understand then. I do now.

Much like Hasek, though, I wonder if Ilya Sorokin has ever stomped his way to Tim Horton's after a bad loss with a skate in the crease. Stanley Cup does not apply, because the Islanders can't keep pace with Tampa Bay ever. The Islanders aren't making the playoffs especially after losing 6-3 to the New York Rangers on Thursday.

"Some guys cheated the game, plain and simple," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "We had one line that got torn apart. I thought they cheated the game. It is a game of mistakes, but if you make a mistake you have to have the urgency and desire to clean up your own mistakes. If you're going to create some garbage on the ice then you better clean it up, and we didn't do a good job."

How dare they cheat the game with the playoffs well out of reach. Homeboy just needs to stay hydrated and things will work out.

I have never felt so confident about the Sabres winning than I have at this moment. Man alive, they should win this game in a rather easy one because the Sabres are clearly playing like a juggernaut at a rather interesting time. Sabres win 4-2

Check back later for trends.

Islanders:

Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal -- Zach Parise

Josh Bailey -- Brock Nelson -- Anthony Beauvillier

Kieffer Bellows -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Kyle Palmieri

Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Ross Johnston

Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock

Zdeno Chara -- Noah Dobson

Sebastian Aho -- Andy Greene

Ilya Sorokin

Sabres:

Jeff Skinner -- Tage Thompson -- Victor Olofsson

Peyton Krebs -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Alex Tuch

Rasmus Asplund -- Dylan Cozens -- Kyle Okposo

Anders Bjork -- Zemgus Girgensons -- Vinnie Hinostroza

Mattias Samuelsson -- Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power -- Henri Jokiharju

Jacob Bryson -- Casey Fitzgerald

Craig Anderson

Points: Brock Nelson -- 58

Goals: Brock Nelson -- 36

Assists: Mat Barzal -- 39

Goalie: Ilya Sorokin -- 25-16-8, 2.32 GAA, .927 SV%

Points: Tage Thompson -- 65

Goals: Tage Thompson -- 36

Assists: Rasmus Dahlin -- 40

Goalie: Craig Anderson -- 17-12-2, 3.15 GAA, .897 SV%