Zucker extends point streak with goal and assist in loss to Islanders

Jason Zucker had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to four games, but the Buffalo Sabres fell 4-3 to the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center on Friday.

Zucker’s goal, scored at the 5:27 mark of the third period, brought the Sabres within one, but Jean-Gabriel Pageau buried a carom off the end boards to restore the Islanders’ two-goal lead less than three minutes later.

Owen Power scored with an extra attacker on the ice for the Sabres with 1:01 remaining, but their comeback effort fell short in what was the finale of a four-game homestand.

“I think we had too many mental mistakes,” Zucker said. “Gave them chances off of plays we shouldn’t have, forwards not covering for D. Too many little mental lapses. … Against a team like that that plays stingy defense with a big D 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.”

Zucker set up Dylan Cozens’ first goal of the season on the power play to put the Sabres on the board 9:03 into the contest, but the Islanders responded exactly 40 seconds later on a breakaway goal from Bo Horvat.

Buffalo had a chance to regain the lead with a pair of power plays to open the second period, which overlapped for 24 seconds at 5-on-3. New York killed the penalties and pulled ahead on a goal from Maxim Tsyplakov, who deked his way to the slot and buried a wrist shot at the 5:25 mark.

Tsyplakov helped extend the Islanders’ lead to 3-1 less than seven minutes later when, with 12 seconds remaining on their third power play of the night, he delivered a no-look feed through the blue paint to set up Kyle Palmieri at the back door.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff echoed Zucker in attributing the loss to defensive lapses, which also contributed to a loss to Florida on Tuesday that snapped a three-game winning streak.

“Let's be real, we handed them three goals,” Ruff said. “We've been playing pretty tight, it started to slip, and again, we get beat 1-on-1, we got a defenseman caught deep where our forwards 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 two-on-one, on-nothing plays."

The Sabres had an opportunity to build momentum after the Islanders lost two defensemen two injuries during the second period. Adam Pelech left the game with 12:53 remaining in the period after taking a puck to the face, then Mike Reilly was injured less than three minutes later on a legal hit by Jordan Greenway. Reilly was able to leave the ice with the help of teammates after initially being tended to by trainers, but neither he nor Pelech returned.

Zucker fought Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom late in the period to try and give the Sabres a spark, then continued to work toward that end when he drew a penalty shot at the 5:01 mark of the third. He was unable to lift his backhand attempt over the pad of goaltender Ilya Sorokin, but he scored on a deflection of a Tage Thompson shot 26 seconds later.

Zucker has nine points in the last eight games and has factored in on power-play goals in three straight contests.

“He had a good night,” Ruff said. “He scored the goal, he had the penalty shot, he was in on some big moments. He was in a lot more moments than a lot of other players were."

The momentum from Zucker’s goal was snuffed out when Pageau was left open to pounce on a rebound and put it behind Devon Levi, who matched Sorokin with 32 saves.

"This game was not on our goalie, I'm just telling you,” Ruff said. “Just, again, I have to clean up. I have to clean up. That's on me. I've got to clean up our play. We've been defending well, we had a focal point on making sure we stay around the front of the net and really, the first goal and the fourth goal are goals that just, they can't happen. Can't happen."

Here’s more from the loss to the Islanders.

1. Thompson extended his point streak to a career-long eight games with the assist on Zucker’s goal. He has six goals and six assists during that span.

2. Power’s late goal extended his career-best point streak to six games, during which he has two goals and six assists.

3. The Islanders finished the night with 23 blocked shots and managed to play their stingy brand of defense, even after injuries limited them to two pairs on the back end.

“I don’t think we pressured their D enough,” Zucker said. “I don’t think we made it hard enough on them, especially when they’re down to four D. I don’t think we pressed enough. I don’t think we were pushing hard enough. I think we got to be a little bit more aggressive on their D, make it a tougher night, chip every single puck in, make them move back and back and back again. I don’t think we did enough of that.”

4. Cozens moved to the right wing alongside Greenway and Ryan McLeod to start the game, a change that Ruff said was made with the intention of sparking Cozens’ offensive game. He ended up scoring his first goal of the season on the power play, burying an opportunity at the back door after Zucker sent a pass from the crease.

5. The Sabres held their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night in partnership with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Jack Langdon, a 26-year-old who recently rang the bell at Roswell Park after completing treatment for spindle cell carcinoma, was honored during a ceremonial puck drop.

Langdon was previously the Sabres’ guest of honor for Hockey Fights Cancer Night in 2011, when – at 13 years old – he completed treatment for Ewing’s sarcoma. Learn more about his story in the video below.

6. The Sabres were met by patients from Roswell Park as they arrived at KeyBank Center ahead of the game. Check out photos from Purple Carpet in the gallery below.

Up next

The Sabres travel to Detroit to play the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday. Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7.