The Islanders finished with a 39-27-16 record (94 points), 10 points ahead of Buffalo
The Buffalo Sabres took a step back after barely missing the playoffs in 2023, finishing seven points out of the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot with a 39-37-6 record (84 points). The regression cost head coach Don Granato his job and put more pressure on GM Kevyn Adams to snap the league’s longest playoff drought of 13 seasons.
Adams brought back veteran head coach Lindy Ruff to stress accountability and has made trades and free agent signings to remedy the Sabres depth and defensive issues, but the question now is whether they are as good or better than their competition in the Eastern Conference.
The New York Islanders made the playoffs with a late charge led by head coach Patrick Roy (who replaced Lane Lambert as head coach in January) and the goaltending of backup Semyon Varlamov, but their magic ran out in the playoffs, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. GM Lou Lamoriello chose to mostly to stand pat this summer, signing free agent winger Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal, and losing veteran wingers Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck.
Forwards
New York was tied with the Sabres at 246 goals last season, which illustrates their issues of generating enough offense. Other than Washington, they were the only playoff team with a negative goal differential (-17). New York’s core group of Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Anders Lee did most of the scoring, but Roy is hoping to slot Duclair into their top six, which would allow Pierre Engvall to move down in the lineup.
The Islanders top two lines are on equal footing with the Sabres, but the departure of Clutterbuck and Martin (both who are still unrestricted free agents) weakens their depth up front. The addition of Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker, Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel gives Buffalo more depth and that gives them a slight edge.
Defense
Noah Dobson is one of the best defensemen in the NHL and proved it last season with an impressive 70 points, but the rest of the once-great Islanders defense is beginning to show signs of decline. Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, and Scott Mayfield all missed significant time last season and that resulted in an uncharacteristically bad 263 goals allowed. Alexander Romanov is a steady bottom-pairing option, but the 23-year-old may have to start taking on more responsibilities.
Dobson is in the same class as Rasmus Dahlin, but the youth and skills of Owen Power and Bowen Byram, to go along with Henri Jokiharju, and Mattias Samuelsson give Buffalo a slight edge, but the Isles group bouncing back cannot be ruled out.
Goaltending
Roy leaned heavily on the veteran Varlamov (who he coached in Colorado) over a worn-down Ilya Sorokin, who had his worst statistical year since coming over from the KHL in 2020. The 28-year-old has been one of the best netminders in the NHL and should return to his previous form next season. If he does, the Islanders have the advantage in experience over Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen coming off his first excellent campaign, and Devon Levi, who was not ready for primetime last season.
Outlook
New York’s fate rests on being able to score more goals and finding their defensive mojo. The addition of Duclair may help the former, but the questions on the blueline and the uncertainty of Sorokin bouncing back put them in that bubble group of five or six teams along with the Sabres battling for the Eastern Conference wildcard spot.
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