Rapid Recap: Sabres 2, Islanders 0

The New York Islanders four-game point streak came to a halt on Saturday evening, as the Isles fell 2-0 to the Buffalo Sabres at UBS Arena.
Kyle Okposo broke a 0-0 deadlock with 6:29 to play in the third period, while Jeff Skinner added an empty-netter late in the game. Eric Comrie stopped all 27 shots he faced for his second career shutout.
Saturday marked the fifth time the Islanders were shut out this season and first since Dec. 19, 2022 in Colorado.
Despite being shut out, the Islanders (83 points) will start and finish the day in the first wild card position in the Eastern Conference, as they are three points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins (80 points), who take on the Washington Capitals Saturday night.

THE SCORING

1st Period
No scoring.
2nd Period
No scoring.
3rd Period
13:31 - BUF 1, NYI 0 - Sabres captain Kyle Okposo opens the scoring late in the third period, as he quickly sweeps a bouncing puck Semyon Varlamov. Ilya Lyubushkin picked up the lone assist.
19:28 - BUF 2, NYI 0 - Jeff Skinner ices the game with an empty-netter. Dylan Cozens and Casey Middlestadt pick up the assists.

NOTEBOOK:

Josh Bailey returned to the lineup after missing four games as a healthy scratch. Simon Holmstrom came out of the lineup to accommodate Bailey's return. Bailey played 11:40 with a giveaway and a blocked shot.. The Islanders four-game streak of scoring four-or-more goals came to an end on Saturday... Zach Parise's four-game goal streak came to a close... Hudson Fasching's four-game point streak also came to an end... Buffalo snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Islanders in the New York area, earning their first win in New York since April 9, 2016... Bo Horvat led the Islanders with five shots on goal and won 11-of-16 face-offs... Adam Pelech played a team-high 22:19... The Islanders were credited with 15 giveaways, Samuel Bolduc had a team-high four...

GOALTENDING BATTLE:

Semyon Varlamov stopped 33 of 34 in the loss, making his first start since Mar. 11.
Eric Comrie stopped 27 of 27 in the shutout, an admirable bounce-back after allowing 10 goals to the Dallas Stars in his previous start.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

The Islanders were 0-for-2 on the power play and three-for-three on the penalty kill.

IMAGE OF THE GAME:

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders host the New Jersey Devils on Monday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.