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4 reasons why Islanders vs. Sabres lacked intensity

Steven Ryan / National Hockey League / Getty

The Buffalo Sabres edged the New York Islanders 2-1 for their fourth win of the season on Sunday night.

The win was a big one for the Sabres, but for viewers, the game seemed to lack the excitement one would expect from two young rosters with something to prove.

For the Islanders, the loss was their third straight, while it was the Sabres second win in a row, and their fifth win of the season.

Implications aside, here's what made this cross-division contest more of a snooze-fest:

1. Tavares missing from action

For the second straight game, the Islanders were without captain John Tavares who was sidelined with what the team is calling an illness. Tavares leads the team in both goals and points and without him, the Islanders looked predictably starved for offense.

No Islander stood out, making the absence of the 2015 Hart Trophy nominee even more noticeable. The team will surely welcome their All-Star back when he returns to the lineup.

2. Few quality scoring chances

Low-scoring games can still be exciting, in fact many times a low-scoring tilt is indicative of a tight goaltending duel. On Sunday, however, the goaltenders had it pretty easy.

Neither team managed an abundance of grade-A scoring chances and neither took a penalty through 60 minutes, so the goalies didn't face many odd-man situations.

3. Eichel nearly invisible

The Sabres might not be the most interesting club to follow this season, but what they do have is a generational talent, one that should bring fans out of their seats.

That said, Jack Eichel was hard to pick out of the crowd Sunday. The 18-year-old had just one shot on net and was a minus-1 through 16:07 of ice time.

Coach Dan Bylsma juggled lines a bit early in an attempt to get Eichel and his team going, but saw very little success.

Excellence can't be expected every night, but dazzling the fans a little on a lazy Sunday would've been appreciated.

4. Islanders playing on back-to-back nights

What also didn't work to the Islanders' advantage was they entered action Sunday less than 24 hours after going to a shootout Saturday afternoon against the New Jersey Devils.

They seemed a bit sluggish, only pouring it on late in a desperate attempt to get the equalizer. They did out-shoot the Sabres, but with so few quality opportunities, it may have been hard to notice.

And finally, last night was Halloween. Maybe everyone had a bit too much candy before the game.

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