PuckCast Edge
Every pick is free. The Edge is the rest.
Betting edges, stake sizing, props priced against the line, fantasy tiers and the graded ledger. $14.99 a month in season, or $99 for the year.
PuckCast Edge
Betting edges, stake sizing, props priced against the line, fantasy tiers and the graded ledger. $14.99 a month in season, or $99 for the year.
2026-27 forecast · Sun, Mar 21, 3:00 PM ET
Ilya Sorokin · 0.906 SV%
The preseason ratings make Buffalo Sabres 52.5% to win on the road: barely a lean at all, worth 2.5 points over a coin flip, which grades C. Over a full season those same ratings project BUF for 104 points and NYI for 94.
A preseason forecast from each team's regressed rating and home ice, the ratings behind the projected standings. The full model read, with the starting goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of the game and replaces this page’s numbers. How this is calculated
BUF controlled play at 5v5 last season, 50.7% of the expected goals to 47.7%.
In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) saved -1.3 goals above expected to Ilya Sorokin's -6.3, on save percentages of 0.910 and 0.906.
None of that is the model read. This is a rating-and-home-ice forecast; the full prediction, with confirmed goalies, rest and form, priced against the market, publishes inside the seven days before puck drop and replaces these numbers. Buffalo Sabres over New York Islanders is where it starts, not where it ends.
No sportsbook has posted a price for this game yet. Prices usually appear roughly a week before puck drop.
No starter is named this far out. These are each side’s projected starters on the current roster, with last season’s numbers.
BUF
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
35 games, 2025-26
NYI
Ilya Sorokin
55 games, 2025-26
| BUF | Metric | NYI |
|---|---|---|
| 50.7% | xGF% (5v5) | 47.7% |
| — | Shot share | — |
| — | Goals for / game | — |
| — | Goals against / game | — |
| — | Power play | — |
| — | Penalty kill | — |
| — | Faceoffs | — |
Buffalo Sabres
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tage Thompson | C | 35 | 33 | 68 |
 Rasmus Dahlin | D | 18 | 50 | 68 |
 Ryan McLeod | C | 14 | 30 | 44 |
 Jack Quinn | R | 17 | 26 | 43 |
New York Islanders
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Matthew Schaefer | D | 21 | 34 | 55 |
| Date | Game | Pick | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-31 | NYI @ BUF | BUF | NYI 3–4 BUF | Correct |
| 2026-01-24 | BUF @ NYI | NYI | BUF 5–0 NYI | Missed |
| 2025-12-20 | NYI @ BUF | BUF | NYI 3–4 BUF | Correct |
| Team | Proj. points | Playoff odds |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Sabres | 104 | 67.2% |
| New York Islanders | 94 | 42.2% |
Forecast method preseason-elo-v1; ratings as of 2026-08-19.
 Bo Horvat | C | 22 | 24 | 46 |
|---|
 Matias Maccelli | L | 12 | 24 | 36 |
|---|
 Simon Holmstrom | R | 17 | 20 | 36 |
|---|
CAR@
NYI
