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Sabres-Islanders Preview

Jan 16, 2010 - 5:27 PM By JON PALMIERI STATS Editor

Buffalo (29-11-5) at New York (20-19-8), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The last time the Buffalo Sabres reached the playoffs, a Northeast Division title was their ticket in. It's looking more and more like they will take that same route to the postseason.

Seeking their eighth win in nine games, the first-place Sabres continue their season-high seven-game road trip against Rick DiPietro and the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

Buffalo failed to qualify for the playoffs the last two seasons despite hitting the 90-point plateau both times.

A huge jump in the standings seemed unlikely after the team made few roster changes this past offseason, but the Sabres (29-11-5) have opened a 10-point lead over Boston in the Northeast and are challenging for the league's best record.

With the offense producing at virtually the same rate as last season, the clear difference for Buffalo in 2009-10 has been the stellar play of Ryan Miller, who ranks second in wins (26) and goals-against average (2.02) and is tied for second in shutouts (five).

Miller has another strong performance as the Sabres opened their 14-day trip with a 2-1 overtime victory against Atlanta on Thursday. He made 32 saves and Derek Roy scored a power-play goal 2:27 into the extra period as Buffalo rebounded from a shootout loss to Colorado and moved to 13-2-3 in its last 18 games.

"We put ourselves in a tough spot, but we bounced back with some good penalty killing," said Miller, the likely starter for the U.S. Olympic team. "We stuck with it. We did a good job penalty killing. We battled hard."

Although the Sabres rank in the middle of the pack in scoring, they are balanced offensively with seven players in double digits in goals. Only Washington (nine) and Chicago (eight) have more players with 10 or more goals.

Center Tim Connolly leads Buffalo with 38 points, collecting five goals and 10 assists during a career-high 10-game point streak. Connolly, who began his career with the Islanders in 1999, has a goal and two assists in three games against his former club this season.

The league's worst team last season, the Islanders (20-19-8) have also made tremendous strides in 2009-10 and are two points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rob Schremp posted his first career two-goal game, and Dwayne Roloson earned perhaps the easiest shutout of his career in New York's 6-0 victory over visiting Detroit on Tuesday night.

The Islanders have gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, winning three straight at home.

"We're all striving to get 60 minutes," coach Scott Gordon said. "It's not an easy thing to do. This was by far our best 60-minute performance."

Although Roloson is 7-0-1 in his last eight starts, DiPietro is scheduled to make his home season debut in this game. DiPietro, who missed more than a year following knee surgery, stopped 24 of 28 shots in a 4-3 loss at Dallas on Jan. 8 in his season debut.

This will be his first appearance at Nassau Coliseum since Dec. 26, 2008.

"Whether he gets a lift tonight will depend on how he plays," Gordon told the Islanders' official Web site when asked if his goalie will get a boost from playing at home.

DiPietro is 7-7-1 with a 2.68 GAA in 16 regular-season appearances against Buffalo.

Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo have led New York offensively of late. Bailey has four goals and eight assists during a career-best seven-game point streak, while Okposo has goals in four consecutive games after managing one in his previous 23 contests.

The Sabres were outscored 7-0 in their last two visits to Long Island.