New York Islanders vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, 5/3/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New York Islanders vs Buffalo Sabres

Date: Monday, May 3, 2021

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG-B

Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders (30-15-5) are headed to KeyBank Center on Monday where they'll take on the Buffalo Sabres (13-31-7).

The Islanders were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 4-0 victory over the Rangers in their previous contest. The offensive zone starts for them were rated at 30.8% and they had a PDO at even strength of 113.0 for this matchup. They accumulated 28 face-off wins when at even strength and lost on 15 attempts to take control of the puck. Their Fenwick was 37 and the Fenwick against was 37, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 50.0%. The Corsi for the Islanders was 47 and the Corsi against when this game finished was 54 which had their Corsi rate coming in at 46.5%. New York tallied 6 penalty minutes in this game. In addition, they had 2 attempts on the power play and were able to net 1 goal. The Islanders had a solid offensive performance and it showed in this victory. For the outing, they were able to notch a goal on 4 out of the 27 shots they launched.

New York Islanders opponents have earned 122 power play opportunities (31st in professional hockey) and have a total of 20 goals in those chances. The Islanders have had 1,404 shots tried against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .920. New York has tried 1,436 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 9.5%. While playing at even strength, the Islanders have allowed 92 goals while scoring 111 on the offensive side of the ice. New York is sitting with 135 power play opportunities and they have tallied 25 goals during those advantages, giving them a rate of 18.52%. For the season, they have accumulated 65 points and their points percentage comes in at .650. In the matter of their scoring, the New York Islanders have racked up 136 goals (19th in the National Hockey League) for the year and have given up 112.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Semyon Varlamov. The opposition has scored 1,320 goals against Varlamov in his professional career and his goals against average per game is 2.63. Varlamov has played in 525 contests over the course of his hockey career. His save percentage is .916 in his 30,088 mins guarding the cage. He has compiled an overall mark of 250-192-60 and he started in 501 games. Throughout his time in hockey, Varlamov is sitting with 280 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .559. Varlamov has had 15,740 shot attempts taken against him and has amassed 14,420 total saves.

In their last game, Buffalo squared up with the Bruins in an outing where the Sabres were on the wrong end of the score by a score of 5-2. Buffalo had a 46.7% Corsi rating. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Buffalo had and we'd say it was a below average outing in all. Their Fenwick rate came in at 44.3% by compiling a Fenwick of 35 and the Bruins having notched a 44 Fenwick at even strength. Their PDO was 98 and they earned an oZS percentage of 57.1%. The Sabres had 2 goals out of the 31 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 2 opportunities on the power play in this matchup but weren't able to score a goal.

On the campaign, the Buffalo Sabres have a total of 121 goals, 33 points, in addition to a points percentage of .324. They have permitted 176 goals to be scored by of a combination of 147 goals at even strength and 29 goals while they were shorthanded. The Sabres are sitting with 93 goals at even strength and 28 goals (19th in the league) while on the power play. They have a tally of 134 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play rate of 20.90%. Buffalo has tried 1,450 shots (21st in professional hockey) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 8.34%, while allowing the opposition 1,705 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 77.69% on their opponents 130 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is currently 89.7%.

Across the ice you will find Dustin Tokarski in the crease. Tokarski has accrued a lifetime mark of 12-20-7 and has played in 46 games. Tokarski's percentage of quality starts is 45.9% and he has 17 quality starts in his career. He has recorded 1,150 stops out of 1,270 shots attempted, giving him a save percentage of .906. His opponents are averaging 3.00 goals/game and he has relinquished 120 goals in total. He got the starting nod in 37 games and has been on the ice for 2,401 mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo

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