At the Horn | Islanders 3 - Sabres 0

A second-period burst, with two Islanders goals in two minutes, proved pivotal as New York defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 on Saturday night at UBS Arena.

The Sabres outshot New York 29-20 and recorded nine high-danger chances to the Islanders’ six in the defeat, their second shutout loss in their last three games.

James Reimer got the start in net for the Sabres and made 17 saves in his second start with the club. In the opposing net, Ilya Sorokin stopped all 29 shots for his first shutout of the season.

Islanders captain Anders Lee had a two-point night, scoring New York’s first goal before assisting on Simon Holmström's shortly after. Holmström added an empty-net goal for his second multi-goal game in as many days for the Islanders.

Buffalo’s power play failed to convert on two opportunities and is now 0-for-13 in its last five games.

During their previous two games versus Minnesota and Vancouver, the Sabres generated plenty of chances but scored just three total goals. Coach Lindy Ruff adjusted his forward lines before Saturday’s contest. Alex Tuch moved to second-line right wing with Zach Benson and Dylan Cozens, while Jack Quinn joined Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka on the first line. Ryan McLeod rose to third-line center, pushing Jiri Kulich to the wing. Peyton Krebs slotted into the fourth line, as did Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who entered in place of Sam Lafferty. Lafferty missed Saturday's game after sustaining a lower-body injury Friday against the Canucks.

While the lines returned to a more familiar look after the first intermission, Buffalo failed to establish consistent offensive pressure to beat Sorokin and get back in the win column.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Period

Buffalo outshot New York by a 10-6 margin in a scoreless opening frame. The teams were tied with nine scoring chances apiece after 20 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick.

For the second straight game, Thompson’s first shift included a prime scoring opportunity in front. Here, he lost the puck before bumping into Sorokin.

The Islanders appeared to take a 1-0 lead on a Matt Martin tally at 12:52, but the play was ruled offside after a coach’s challenge by Buffalo – Casey Cizikas had beaten the puck into the Sabres zone.

Buffalo’s new-look second line, with Tuch joining Cozens and Benson, generated three scoring chances. That trio had played just three minutes together entering tonight, but their puck possession led to early action in the offensive zone.

Second Period

Ruff shuffled his right wings after the first intermission, returning Tuch and Quinn to their usual first- and third-line roles, respectively. Kulich replaced Tuch on the second line.

On the first shift of the period, Bowen Byram took a deflected puck to the face and, bleeding, went to the locker room for repairs. He returned to the ice three minutes later, then headed off for a hooking call at 7:03.

Lee cashed in on the man advantage at 7:23, tipping a Kyle Palmieri feed past Reimer.

Holmstrom, after his two-goal performance Friday at Washington, extended the lead to 2-0 just 2:05 later. Lee forced a turnover at the New York blue line to create a 2-on-1 rush and passed across to set up Holmstrom's one-timer.

A delay-of-game call sent Buffalo to the power play, but the Sabres were outshot 2-0 in those two minutes and returned to the locker room trailing by two, despite having matched New York’s seven shots in the period.

Third Period

After Tuch was called for tripping to open the period, McLeod led a short-handed, 2-on-1 rush with Cozens – Sorokin made a reaching blocker save to deny Cozens’ one-time attempt, which proved to be one of Buffalo’s best scoring opportunities of the night.

Buffalo recorded one shot on its second power play of the night, but with no substantial puck possession or scoring chances.

With 3:01 left in the period, Reimer was pulled from the net for the extra attacker. Holmström tallied an empty-net goal with seven seconds remaining to secure the Islanders victory.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

UP NEXT

The Sabres return home to host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night at KeyBank Center to open a five-game homestand. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. with coverage on MSG beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available here.