Sabres Recall Tyson Kozak Ahead of Game Versus Islanders

The Buffalo Sabres announced shortly after their 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks yesterday that prospect Tyson Kozak has been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Kozak joins the team on Long Island, as the Sabres prepare to face the New York Islanders on Saturday. Forward Sam Lafferty left the game against the Canucks on Friday with a lower-body injury.

The 21-year-old forward prospect was a seventh-round selection of the Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft. That’s the same draft where Buffalo selected Owen Power first and Isak Rosen 14th overall. Kozak brings a well-rounded game, as an undersized forward who is defensively responsible.

He has five goals and six points in 14 games for Rochester this season. It’s unknown at this time whether Kozak will make his NHL debut against the Islanders.

Where to Watch

Gametime: 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: UBS Arena (Elmont, NY)

TV: MSG

Stream: Gotham Sports; ESPN+ (Out of market)

Radio: WGR550

Sabres Gameday

Head coach Lindy Ruff switched up the lines with a shortened bench and the Sabres trailing in the third period on Friday. Alex Tuch moved to the right wing with Dylan Cozens and Zach Benson and the trio responded with two goals to tie the game and force overtime. They may stick together against the Islanders, although Ruff has been known to switch things back to normal for the next game.

Previous Game: Cozens Bails Himself Out; Sabres Earn Point Against Canucks

Ryan McLeod was promoted from his fourth-line center spot and is back with Jason Zucker. That duo could stick together as well, as Ruff will try to find the right combinations and make the necessary adjustments.

James Reimer, per Stefan Rosner of NHL.com, will get the start for the Sabres. Reimer was spectacular in San Jose, stopping 31 of 33 shots in Buffalo’s victory last Saturday.

New York Islanders

New York is coming off an overtime loss as well versus the Washington Capitals. Semyon Varlamov tended the net for the Islanders on Friday, meaning Ilya Sorokin will face the Sabres. Sorokin is 5-6-3 this season in 14 starts. He’s put up average numbers for the Islanders, with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

The Islanders are expected to be without Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who was filling in on the top line for Mathew Barzal. New York has already been without Anthony Duclair, who suffered a leg injury earlier in the season.

Special teams have not been a strong suit of the Islanders, leaving an obvious area for the Sabres to exploit. New York ranks dead-last in the league in powerplay percentage (11.9%) and second-last in penalty kill percentage (68.6%).

Injury Report

Buffalo Sabres

• Sam Lafferty (Lower Body) Out
• Jordan Greenway (Undisclosed) Week-to-week [IR]
• Mattias Samuelsson (Lower Body) Week-to-week [IR]

New York Islanders

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Lower Body) Day-to-day
• Mike Reilly (Chest) Out [IR]
• Mathew Barzal (Upper Body) Out [IR]
• Adam Pelech (Jaw) Out [IR]
• Anthony Duclair (Leg) Out [IR]

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards (Projected)

JJ Peterka – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch

Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – Jack Quinn

Jiri Kulich – Ryan McLeod – Jason Zucker

Beck Malenstyn – Peyton Krebs – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Defense (Projected)

Rasmus Dahlin – Bowen Byram

Owen Power – Henri Jokiharju

Jacob Bryson – Connor Clifton

James Reimer

New York Islanders

Forwards (Projected)

Anders Lee – Bo Horvat – Simon Holmstrom

Maxim Tsyplakov – Brock Nelson – Kyle Palmieri

Pierre Engvall – Casey Cizikas – Oliver Wahlstrom

Matt Martin – Kyle MacLean – Hudson Fasching

Defense (Projected)

Alexander Romanov – Noah Dobson

Isaiah George – Ryan Pulock

Dennis Cholowski – Scott Mayfield

Goalie (Confirmed)

Ilya Sorokin

Source: Stefan Rosner, NHL.com

Betting Breakdown

The PuckLuck model slightly favors the Buffalo Sabres on the road, while the sportsbooks lean toward the New York Islanders. This leaves a little edge on the Sabres moneyline and puckline tonight, but not enough to bet with confidence.

That’s when we turn to the prop bets, which always leave us plenty of room to profit over time. Brock Nelson will play a big role for the Islanders tonight, and PuckLuck puts his anytime goal prop at about 51% chance of hitting. There’s a clear value if you get it at +175 or better, as listed on some major sportsbooks.

If you prefer betting on something Sabres, Jack Quinn is turning a corner and shooting more. His anytime goal prop has fallen into the +400 range, despite PuckLuck pinning him around +200 to score.

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For more betting analysis across the NHL, head over to PuckLuck.com.

*PuckLuck.com provides data related to gambling and cannot guarantee the success of any suggested or related wagers. Please gamble responsibly.*