At the Horn: Sabres 2 - Islanders 3 (OT)

Jack Eichel scored the tying goal with 1:46 remaining to force overtime as the Buffalo Sabres came away with a hard-earned point in a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders at NYCB Live/Nassau Coliseum on Saturday.
Anthony Beauvillier scored the winning goal at 3:04 of overtime for the Islanders, who also received goals from Michael Dal Colle and Jordan Eberle. Semyon Varlamov stopped 32 shots.

Victor Olofsson also scored for the Sabres. Eichel tallied an assist in addition to the tying goal, extending his NHL-best point streak to 16 games. Linus Ullmark made 23 saves.

How it happened

After going down 1-0 on the strength of a goal from Dal Colle in the first period, the Sabres utilized a strong special teams performance to tie the game in the second.
Olofsson tied the game with a power-play goal at the 6:11 mark, fed from the point by Rasmus Dahlin. The penalty kill, meanwhile, was a perfect 3-for-3 in the period against an Islanders power play that ranked 11th in the NHL.
Eberle gave the Islanders a lead at 4:50 of the third period, which stood until Matthew Barzal was sent to the box for elbowing Dahlin up high with 3:33 remaining. The Sabres pulled Ullmark at the 2:00 mark and, with two extra attackers, Eichel pulled the puck from a scrum in front of the net and roofed a backhand shot with 1:46 left to play.
Beauvillier won the game on a breakaway in the extra period after an attempted pass from Eichel to Sam Reinhart was broken up on a 3-on-2 rush.

What it means

Facing an Islanders team that entered the contest having allowed a league-low average of 2.33 goals per game, the Sabres were able to count on their special teams on a night when they had trouble generating offense at even strength. They finished 2-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Though the loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Sabres, they have now earned at least a point in 10 of their last 12 contests.
And, speaking of streaks, Eichel has matched Tim Connolly and Rick Martin for the fourth-longest streak in franchise history. Only Gilbert Perreault (18 games, 1971) and Dave Andreychuk (17 games, twice) have had longer streaks.

Roll the Highlight Film

Olofsson picked the far-side corner for his 14th goal and rookie-leading 30th point of the season. He has 20 points (8+12) in his last 19 games.

What's next

The Sabres visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. The game can be seen on NBCSN and heard on WGR 550 with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.