Skinner scores twice as Sabres cap preseason with win over Isles

OSHAWA, ONTARIO -With several of their regular players resting back home, Phil Housley said the Buffalo Sabres' preseason finale against the New York Islanders would serve as a chance for veterans to catch up to speed and young players to make one last impression ahead of the regular season.
It also ended up being a chance for the Sabres to enter their 2018-19 campaign on a winning note. Jeff Skinner scored twice, Carter Hutton made 27 saves and Zemgus Girgensons, Casey Nelson and Rasmus Dahlin all added goals in a 5-4 win.
The Sabres scored four of their goals in the second period and took a 5-3 lead into the second intermission. They withstood a late push by the Islanders after Anders Lee scored to bring New York within one with 4:41 remaining.

Buffalo concludes the preseason with a record of 3-4-0.
"I'd like to have ended it 5-3, the way we came into the third period," Housley said. "But it's a valuable lesson. Not only for our young players, the whole team.
"When we managed it well, we were very aggressive … We talked about possessing more puck in the offensive zone, we did a terrific job of that. But when you turn the puck over, it comes right back and now we're playing defense. Just some really good lessons for our team moving forward."

Skinner nets a pair

The Sabres acquired Skinner, a three-time 30-goal scorer, to bolster their even-strength scoring. He put his offensive skills on display during a 90-second span the second period, which is the amount of time it took him to net a pair of goals.
Skinner formed quick chemistry on a line Sam Reinhart in their last two preseason games, and the pair didn't slow down with Vladimir Sobotka filling in for Jack Eichel as their center. Sobotka and Reinhart executed a quick give-and-go on the rush, and the latter fed Skinner with a pass across the net to set up his first goal.
"He's a smart player," Skinner said of Reinhart. "He's highly skilled and he makes some pretty good plays in tight areas. I don't know, I'm just trying to read off him. He always seems to be in the right spot and we've been working pretty well together."
For his next trick, Skinner took a shot from behind the net and banked the puck in off the back of goaltender Thomas Greiss.

"[Kyle Okposo] made a great play to me," Skinner said. "I just missed it and I took a peek there. I felt like [Greiss] was still down so I had a little bit of an area to, even if it doesn't go in, I think maybe create some chaos in front and someone else gets a rebound."

From the point

Buffalo's first three goals all had two things in common: They began with shots from defensment and involved traffic in front of Islanders goalie (and former Sabre) Robin Lehner, who played half the game before giving way to Greiss.
Girgensons was battling in the slot when he tipped a Brendan Guhle shot for Buffalo's first goal, with Evan Rodrigues setting a screen behind him. Goals from Nelson and Dahlin followed in the second period, both on seeing-eye wrist shots through traffic.
"I think tonight was an indication that our net-front presence was solid," Housley said. "A lot of those goals were because we had guys in front of the net and our D were finding lanes and getting those shots through. It is gratifying to see our D contribute."

Neutral ground

The game was played at Tribute Communal Centre, home of the OHL's Oshawa Generals. The venue - specifically, the boards - made for an interesting night for Hutton, who twice went back to play pucks as they rimmed around the zone only to see them take odd bounces in front of the net.
"It's kind of different sightlines," Hutton said. "It's a little tighter, pucks are [more live] off the boards. It's one of those things, we've got to battle through it. They're playing in the same conditions anyway. For me, I think I was seeing the puck well. I thought I made a lot of good saves and some timely ones at the end.
"Stuff to build off, now we're excited to get the real stuff going."

Dahlin plays the right

Dahlin returned to a pair alongside Jake McCabe, with whom he opened training camp, albeit with one caveat - Dahlin played on his off side, the right, while McCabe (who's also a left shot) played the left.
Dahlin played the right side in the Swedish Hockey League and downplayed the transition, but Housley was impressed with the defenseman's performance.
"It's tough in this league to play on your off side and I think he's handled it quite well," Housley said. "He's pivoting and turning to his right, he does a very good job of that. But I thought his reads were very good tonight.
"One D-zone faceoff that we lost, there was some missed coverage on that, and those things he's going to carry forward and learn. But he's a good kid, he's a smart kid and he adjusts well."

Up next

The Sabres return to practice on Sunday morning in preparation for the start of the regular season, which begins against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center next Thursday. That contest will kick off a four-game homestand that also includes matchups with the New York Rangers, Vegas and Colorado.