Lehner makes 39 saves, Islanders top Sabres for fourth straight victory

BUFFALO -- Robin Lehner made 39 saves and the New York Islanders won their fourth straight game, 3-1 against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Monday.

"This one felt good," said Lehner, who played the previous three seasons with the Sabres before signing with the Islanders as an unrestricted free agent on July 3, 2018. "It was a little weird; it was probably the hardest game I've played in my career."
Leo Komarov, Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock scored for New York (21-13-4), which has won seven of its past eight games. Islanders coach Barry Trotz got his 783rd career victory, passing Al Arbour for fourth in NHL history.
WATCH: [All Islanders vs. Sabres highlights]
"It was cool," Trotz said. "The guys were really good about it and obviously they know what a milestone [it is] and especially with the Islanders … but more importantly, we got a big win."
Kyle Okposo scored and Carter Hutton made 30 saves for Buffalo (21-13-6), which has lost three in a row and played the final two periods without forward Jack Eichel because of an upper-body injury.
The Sabres have scored two goals or fewer in five of their past six games.
"That's just where we're at right now," Buffalo coach Phil Housley said. "This is testing us. Mentally, we're going to have fight through this, and when I say that, I really like our game, especially the last two games.
"We've got to continue to grind it out and stay the course and not break."
Komarov gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead when Nick Leddy's shot from the point went in off him at 2:59 of the second period.

Nelson made it 2-0 at 1:45 of the third period when his shot from the slot deflected off Hutton's glove and trickled into the net.
"I kind of thought he had it in his glove and then after I got by the defender, I was able to see it kind of hopped over," Nelson said. "It's a big one. Nice to be able to contribute and get a win."
Okposo ended a 21-game goal drought at 10:14 and Lehner's shutout streak at 177:36 with a shot from the top of the right circle on the power play to make it 2-1.

"It was a great screen by [Tage Thompson]," Okposo said. "[Lehner] didn't see it, so he couldn't stop it. I'm in that spot a lot on the power play. I've just got to keep shooting and great screen, so one found its way in."
Pulock scored an empty-net goal with 32 seconds remaining for the 3-1 final. Lehner had an assist.

"We're playing really good as a team," said Lehner, who has a 2.14 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. "I think right now we're all battling hard, just keeping with the detail. Everyone's giving 100 percent every shift. It rewards you, gives you some karma, gives you some bounces, puts you in the flow a little bit and it grows confidence in all of us."

They said it

"I think we're molding into the team that Barry wants us to. I think we're really starting to understand the last couple of games that getting the puck north, making that easy play, getting pucks to the net and playing team defense is a successful way to play." -- Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy
"I thought he played a really strong game. He was heavily involved in the offensive zone, he was skating, he was hard on the puck. That's good to see him get rewarded." -- Sabres coach Phil Housley on forward Kyle Okposo

Need to know

Housley said he doesn't expect Eichel to be out too long. … New York center Valtteri Filppula left the game after one shift because of an upper-body injury. Trotz said he's day to day. … The Islanders are 19-1-1 when they score at least three goals. They scored 11 straight before Okposo's goal, the first time New York has scored 11 in a row since March 1988. … The Sabres are 1-4-1 when hosting the Islanders on New Year's Eve.

What's next

Islanders: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday (Nassau Coliseum; 7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBCSCH, NHL.TV)
Sabres: Host the Florida Panthers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET, MSG-B, FS-F, NHL.TV)