Bryson scores 1st NHL goal in loss to Islanders

Jacob Bryson scored his first NHL goal on the opening shift to begin a strong first period for the Buffalo Sabres, but a highlight-reel goal from Mathew Barzal turned the tide in a 5-2 victory for the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday.
The between-the-legs goal from Barzal erased Buffalo's 1-0 lead and set off a stretch of three New York goals in a span of 4:54. The contest extended Buffalo's winless streak to six games (0-5-1).
"We wanted to come in with some energy," defenseman Brandon Montour said. "I think we did that. When you have a period like that, you get some positive feedback, 'We can play with them.' Get a goal against and it just kind of deflates from there again.
"We wanted to come in and play a full 60. One period won't do it."

Here are five takeaways from the game.

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1. Barzal's game-changing goal

The sequence of events leading to Barzal's goal began in the New York zone. The puck skipped past Matt Irwin and into the neutral zone as he pinched along the left-wing boards, setting up a one-on-one footrace between Barzal and Rasmus Ristolainen.
The two players met on the puck as they crossed the Buffalo blue line. Ristolainen attempted to use his body to knock Barzal off the puck, but the Islanders forward maintained possession through the physicality long enough for the Sabres defenseman to lose his balance.
With an open lane to the net, Barzal crossed from right to left over the top of the blue paint, dropped the puck back between his legs and flicked it in off his forehand behind goaltender Carter Hutton.
"The one-on-one situation, we can't allow that against the Islanders, number one," Krueger said. "We were setting up a pretty good game until then."

2. Mistakes mount during the second

Within five minutes of Barzal's goal, a 1-0 lead for the Sabres had turned into a 3-1 deficit. The Islanders pounced on the forecheck and clogged the neutral zone, forcing a turnover that preceded Brock Nelson's goal at 5:16 of the period. Colin Miller lost his stick during the long shift in the Buffalo zone that ended with Cal Clutterbuck's goal at 8:45.
Scott Mayfield scored to make it 4-1 with 4:31 remaining in the period. Sam Reinhart scored to ignite hopes of a comeback on the opening shift of the third period, only for Anders Lee to answer with the final Islanders goal less than two minutes later.
"I think we just got caught a lot of times in our own blue line and a lot of turnovers," Bryson said. "That's how the Islanders play, pick up speed through the neutral zone and break in on those odd-man rushes, and they're going to find the back of the net."

3. Strong start squandered

The Sabres played to an 11-5 advantage in scoring chances during the first period, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
"In that first period, we just had a lot of really good movement," Krueger said. "I thought our puck management was excellent. We deserted it early in the second, after the first goal against. That was disappointing.
"We got complicated with the puck. I thought we were moving it quick, we were in on them and we were getting underneath them in the O-zone and it created opportunity. Disappointingly, we have a five- six-minute stretch that cost us the game. We gave up on the things that were working, and it is puzzling. We need to look at that puzzle and try to fix it."

4. Bryson gets rewarded

Bryson's first NHL goal came during the first shift of his sixth NHL game. Krueger spoke Friday about the confidence the defenseman has exhibited to this point in his young career, habits that show in the way he moves the puck from his own zone and aggressively closes gaps when defending the blue line.
The goal was the product of a strong opening shift in tandem with defense partner Montour and the forward line of Taylor Hall, Jack Eichel, and Dylan Cozens. The group forechecked along the outside and worked the puck to Bryson, who stepped in from the left point and sent a shot off the far-side post.

"It was so exciting," Bryson said. "I've been waiting for that for a long time."

5. The big picture

The Sabres fall to 0-5-0 against the Islanders this season with the finale of their current three-game set due up on Sunday.
"We need to look it in the eyes," Krueger said. "That's all we can do. Look it in the eyes, continue to communicate about it and clearly something we need to fix. It's not an easy fix, that's for sure. But it's something we're going to be speaking about here tonight."
Sunday's game can be seen on NBC with puck drop set for 12 p.m. You can listen to the game on WGR 550.