Sorokin shuts out Sabres, gets first win for Islanders

BUFFALO -- Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves to earn his first NHL win, a 3-0 victory for the New York Islanders against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Tuesday.

"I feel good," said Sorokin, who was 0-2-1 and hadn't played since Jan. 31. "Not [much] work first period and second (12 shots). I stayed in the game and players helped me.
"When you play, play, play, play, you will feel better every day. And of course I feel better than I [felt] one month ago."
Anders Lee scored twice, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a goal and an assist for the Islanders (8-4-3), who swept the two-game set following a 3-1 win Monday and extended their point streak to eight games (5-0-3).

Carter Hutton made 21 saves for the Sabres (4-6-2), who have lost three straight.
"Everyone knows how the Islanders play," Buffalo forward Taylor Hall said. "They play true to their identity every shift. You fall behind, it's a tough game. That's exactly what they want. I mean, every team wants to play with a lead, but they're probably the best in the League at that.
"It's not our goalie's fault, it's just kind of the way things have gone. As we get playing more hockey here, it's important for us to not come in after the first period down one, down two. It's a tough hill to climb, especially in a season where teams are keeping it simple. That's a mantra for a lot of teams with how many games we're playing. Teams that get leads are going to keep leads, and that's a tough way to play."

Lee gave New York a 1-0 lead for the second straight game, shooting into an open net on the rush after receiving a cross-ice pass from Noah Dobson at 4:43 of the first period.
Pageau scored for the fourth game in a row to make it 2-0 at 11:58 when he got behind Buffalo defenseman Colin Miller and beat Hutton glove side from the left face-off dot.
Of the 38 goals the Islanders have scored this season, 19 have come in the first period.
"Good preparation," Pageau said. "I think everyone's making sure they're ready and ready to do your role as best as you can. I think that's why we always come out strong."
The Sabres pressed in the third period and had several chances to score, but Sorokin made eight saves, including stopping Victor Olofsson from point-blank range with his glove and stretching to make a pad save on Sam Reinhart on the backdoor at the right post.
Olofsson did appear to score on the power play at 13:01 of the third, but the Islanders challenged for offside and the goal was reversed after a video review.

"[Sorokin] was outstanding," New York coach Barry Trotz said. "Unbelievable. You saw the athleticism and he made some huge saves.
"I felt the guys were really committed to getting off to a good start, I thought they were committed to blocking shots and all that, and they did a really good job in front of him. As the game went on, I felt that [the Sabres] started getting their legs and they were coming. He responded by bailing everyone else out, so it was a nice complement to the guys that they did it at the start and he did it at the end. Well done."
Lee scored into an empty net at 19:59 for the 3-0 final.
"There's no question that we are in a league where results matter and results count," Buffalo coach Ralph Krueger said. "Speaking about process here and/or speaking about the good things that happened in this game just seems like energy spent at the moment for all of us. We want to know why we didn't score, why the results aren't happening after a lot of effort. A lot of work and energy was invested in the game today, but you come out completely empty."
NOTES: Sorokin is the first Islanders goalie to get his first NHL win with a shutout since Anders Nilsson (March 4, 2012, 1-0 against the New Jersey Devils). ... Pageau is the eighth player in Islanders history to score in the first period in four consecutive games and the first since Matt Moulson from Nov. 26-Dec. 3, 2011. … The Sabres have allowed the first goal in nine of their 12 games (2-6-1).