Buffalo Sabres
Current season record
5–4–3 · 13 pts
Wins–losses–overtime losses · 2026-27
Next game listed by the source
at Anaheim Ducks
Game Analysis →Team information checked Oct 29, 2026.
Buffalo Sabres vs New York Islanders — Monday, December 23, 2024 Game Analysis
Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders at UBS Arena. Final.
Game Analysis
UBS Arena
- USMSGSN, MSG-B
NYI
- Kyle Palmieri (12)
BUF
- Beck Malenstyn (3)
- Jiri Kulich (5)
- PPJason Zucker (9)
- Zach Benson (5)
- Jack Quinn (4)
- ENTage Thompson (17)
- Jiri Kulich (6)
Buffalo Sabres vs New York Islanders Game Summary — Monday, December 23, 2024
By Hockey in 60
Initial summary · A fuller recap will replace this when published.
Buffalo Sabres defeated New York Islanders 7–1. The game was played at UBS Arena.
A brief summary of the verified result. Source: ESPN game record. Detailed reporting is shown when available.
Buffalo Sabres vs New York Islanders Game Analysis — Monday, December 23, 2024
By Hockey in 60
Buffalo Sabres won despite being outshot 28–25. New York Islanders generated more shots on target, but the volume advantage did not translate into a better result. Buffalo Sabres scored on 28.0% of its shots, compared with 3.6% for New York Islanders. Those are team scoring rates, not goalie save percentages; empty-net goals can affect them. The totals establish a difference in conversion, but cannot separate finishing, chance quality and goaltending.
Buffalo Sabres converted 1 of 3 power plays (33.3%); New York Islanders converted 0 of 1 power plays (0.0%). The 1-goal net power-play edge accounted for part of the 6-goal final margin. This identifies special teams as a meaningful scoring difference, without proving how the game would have unfolded with different penalties.
New York Islanders won 57.8% of faceoffs. That is a clear edge in restarts, but faceoff percentage should not be treated as a possession percentage: the totals do not show where the draws occurred or what happened immediately afterwards.
Hockey in 60’s interpretation of verified game statistics, highlighting meaningful differences and what they suggest about the result. Comparisons describe this game, not season averages. Source: ESPN game statistics.
Buffalo Sabres vs New York Islanders Official Game Highlights — Monday, December 23, 2024
Buffalo Sabres vs New York Islanders Game Statistics — Monday, December 23, 2024
| Statistic | Buffalo Sabres | New York Islanders |
|---|---|---|
| Shots on goal | 25 | 28 |
| Power-play goals | 1 | 0 |
| Power-play opportunities | 3 | 1 |
| Power-play conversion (%) | 33.3 | 0.0 |
| Faceoffs won (%) | 42.2 | 57.8 |
| Hits | 17 | 19 |
| Blocked shots | 30 | 9 |
| Takeaways | 2 | 6 |
| Giveaways | 17 | 23 |
| Penalty minutes | 8 | 12 |
Source: ESPN game statistics.
Scoring and goaltending
Buffalo Sabres won 7–1 at UBS Arena.
Who scored
- Beck Malenstyn Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Jacob Bryson (3), Ryan McLeod (10)
- Jiri Kulich Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: Dylan Cozens (9), Rasmus Dahlin (14)
- Jason Zucker Goal (9) Slap Shot, assists: Jack Quinn (5), Rasmus Dahlin (15)
- Zach Benson Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: Rasmus Dahlin (16), Jiri Kulich (2)
- Jack Quinn Goal (4) Wrist Shot, assists: Dylan Cozens (10), JJ Peterka (15)
- Kyle Palmieri Goal (12) Tip-In, assists: Anthony Duclair (3), Isaiah George (4)
- Tage Thompson Goal (17) Wrist Shot, assists: Rasmus Dahlin (17)
- Jiri Kulich Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: none
Goalies
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 27 of 28 for Buffalo Sabres.
- Ilya Sorokin stopped 18 of 24 for New York Islanders.
Beck Malenstyn Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Jacob Bryson (3), Ryan McLeod (10) That made the score 1–0 in the 1st, and Buffalo Sabres stayed ahead.