Islanders get back on track with win against Sabres

BUFFALO -- Bo Horvat and Maxim Tsyplakov each had a goal and an assist for the New York Islanders in a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Friday.

Anders Lee had two assists, and Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves for the Islanders (4-5-2), who had lost three in a row (outscored 11-4).

“That was a gutsy win by everybody,” Horvat said. “We said before the game, guys are going to have to step up when guys go down, and did we ever tonight. There's so many guys that not only played really well and got on the score sheet, but put their bodies on the line. Definitely wasn't an easy game for the [defense] back there, being down to four 'D,' but it shows the character of this team. We found a way.”

New York defensemen Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly each left the game in the second period and did not return. Pelech took a puck to the face at 7:07. Reilly had to be helped off the ice following a hit by Jordan Greenway along the boards at 9:14.

The Islanders were already without forward Mathew Barzal, who returned to Long Island after sustaining an upper-body injury in a 2-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

“Hopefully we’ll know more in a few days (on Reilly),” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said.

Jason Zucker had a goal and an assist, and Bowen Byram had two assists for the Sabres (4-6-1), who have lost two straight. Devon Levi made 32 saves in his first start since Oct. 17.

“Let’s be real, we handed them three goals,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’d been playing pretty tight, it started to slip, and, again, we get beat 1-on-1, we got a defenseman caught deep where our forward’s covering and gets on the wrong side of the puck on an easy, really an easy, coverage play. You're not going to win a lot of games if you hand the opposition two or three breakaways or 2-on-1 plays.”

Dylan Cozens gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 9:03 of the first period. Rasmus Dahlin's shot from the right point hit Zucker in front and deflected near the left post, where Cozens scored past a lunging Sorokin for his first of the season.

“Sometimes that’s all you need to get going, is just an easy one like that,” Cozens said. “Great job by ‘Zucks’ in front of the net to make it happen.”

Horvat scored 40 seconds later to tie it 1-1. Lee sent a stretch pass up to Horvat, who skated in on a breakaway and lifted a backhand over Levi’s left pad.

Tsyplakov put the Islanders in front 2-1 at 5:25 of the second period. He skated down the right wing following a turnover, cut inside on Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton and scored five-hole on Levi.

“He had a great game again,” Roy said. “The more he’s playing, the more he’s solid. I love his poise with the puck and I love the move that he made on that goal.”

Kyle Palmieri pushed it to 3-1 at 12:20, roofing a one-timer from the left circle off a backhand pass from Tsyplakov for a power-play goal.

Zucker narrowed it to 3-2 at 5:27 of the third period when he redirected Tage Thompson’s shot from the right point.

The goal came 26 seconds after Zucker was stopped by Sorokin's left pad on a penalty shot.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau made it 4-2 at 8:08. Lee's backhand went wide of the net, but Horvat gained possession of the puck and passed out to the top of the crease, where Pageau tapped it in past Levi's stick.

Owen Power cut it to 4-3 at 18:59, scoring on his own rebound near the left post with Levi on the bench for the extra attacker.

“I think we had too many mental mistakes,” Zucker said. “Gave them chances off of plays we shouldn’t have, forwards not covering for [defensemen]. Too many little mental lapses that I felt like when we were coming a little bit, we got ourselves back down two goals. Against a team like that that plays stingy defense with a big [defense] corps, it’s hard to create offense. So, if you keep giving them two-goal leads, it’s going to be hard to come back.”

NOTES: Thompson extended his point streak to an NHL career-high eight games (six goals, six assists). ... Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom played in his 200th NHL game. ... Power extended his point streak to an NHL career-high six games (two goals, six assists).