At the Horn | Sabres 4 - Islanders 0

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the New York Islanders 4-0 at KeyBank Center on Thursday.

The Sabres moved within three points of the Islanders and the Detroit Red Wings for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with the victory. The Red Wings lost 4-1 at home tonight to Arizona.

The Sabres play the Red Wings in Detroit on Saturday afternoon.

Victor Olofsson, Dylan Cozens, and Zach Benson scored goals within a span of 5:13 during the second period. Benson added a second goal into an empty-net goal for his second straight multi-point performance. Owen Power also had a multi-point game with two assists.

The Sabres outshot the Islanders 37-21. Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves for New York.

Buffalo went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and 1-for-4 on the power play.

Here's the breakdown from the win.

SCORING SUMMARY

Period 2, 4:28 (PP) – Victor Olofsson from JJ Peterka and Owen Power

The Sabres had dominated the first period to the tune of a 13-5 edge in shots. They were held off the board by Sorokin, who period included a lunging windmill glove save to rob Peyton Krebs.

Buffalo finally broke through on its first power play of the night, the product of an interference penalty drawn by Zemgus Girgensons as he raced Anders Lee for a loose puck. Peterka delivered a pass through traffic to Olofsson, who squeezed a shot inside the near post from the bottom of the right circle.

Period 2, 8:15 – Dylan Cozens from Connor Clifton and Jeff Skinner

The Sabres continued to apply pressure coming off the power-play goal. A shift in the New York zone ended with Skinner winning a puck along the half wall and passing to Clifton, who shot from above the right circle. Cozens was in front to bury the rebound for his 15th goal of the season.

Period 2, 9:41 – Zach Benson from Henri Jokiharju and Owen Power

Benson’s goal was the product of another extended shift in the New York zone. This time, Power intercepted a pass along the wall and found Jokiharju at the point. Benson deflected Jokiharju’s shot past Varlamov with Jordan Greenway posted up as an additional layer in front of the net.

Period 3, 15:06 – Zach Benson from Rasmus Dahlin and Bowen Byram

Dahlin shoveled a pass through the air and down the ice to create a breakaway for Benson, who scored his second goal of the game into an empty net.

Byram earned the secondary assist on the goal, joining John Van Boxmeer as the second defenseman in Sabres history to record five or more points in their first four games with the team.

VICTORY SPEECH

POSTGAME COMMENTS

PHOTO GALLERY

UP NEXT

The Sabres visit the Red Wings on Saturday afternoon to open a five-game road trip. Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 12 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 12:30. Fans outside the Buffalo broadcast market can watch on NHL Network.