Main storyline: It’s the final game of the season for both teams as the Buffalo Sabres (21-51-9) host the New York Islanders (33-37-11) at the First Niagara Center at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Season series: The teams have split the first two games of the season series, but both of those games were played at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. Tyler Ennis scored the game-winning goal in a shootout to give the Sabres their first win of the season back in October. New York won the most recent contest in March by a 4-1 score.
Where they stand: A miserable season has landed the Sabres in last place, and it’s not even close. The Sabres sit at 51 points, with Edmonton being the team ahead of them, with 65. The Islanders haven’t done much better as they will also miss the playoffs and have 77 points, 27th in the league.
Recent performance: Now on a six game losing streak, the Sabres played their final road game of the season against Boston, falling 4-1. The Islanders are coming off a shootout win in New Jersey. After trailing 2-1 heading into the third, Ryan Strome scored just 19 seconds in. In the shootout, all three of the Islanders’ shooters scored (Frans Nielsen, Josh Bailey and Ryan Strome) to give the team a 3-2 win over the Devils.
Buffalo notes: Buffalo have had a tough go of it in the past couple weeks, dropping their last six games. Despite scoring just eight goals in the past five games, three of them have had a difference of just one goal. While the Sabres have been in each game, they have been unable to take total control or hang on to the lead.
Islanders notes: Since dropping their final home game of the season to Ottawa by a 4-1 score last Tuesday, the Islanders have won a pair of road games. They shutout the Canadiens 2-0 and defeated the Devils in a shootout 3-2. The Islanders have played six games on a Sunday this season and are 3-3 in those contests.
Conclusion: In the final game of the season for both teams, the Sabres and Islanders will go at it one more time. Despite their records, these two teams play hard against each other, and that should be no different to close out the 2013-14 season.
As always, thank you for reading!
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
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