Buffalo at New York

A tough situational spot for the home team having played last night and with the Islanders playing their third game in four nights. They've dropped three of five and two in a row, off a 3-2 loss at New Jersey last night as a favorite. This is not a healthy team. Islanders captain John Tavares missed his first game in two years Saturday with an unspecified illness. Tavares is the club's leading scorer with five goals and six assists. It was the Islanders third sickness-related scratch this week after goaltender Jaroslav Halak and Ryan Strome missed Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina. The Islanders are 2-6 playing on no days rest, and 4-10 after scoring two goals or less in their previous game. Rebuilding Buffalo is better, winning two of three after a 4-3 overtime victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday and a 3-1 win over the Flyers on Friday. They've scored 13 goals in their last four games, so grab the rested and healthier big dog. Play Buffalo.