Islanders Defeat Sabres, Extend Win-Streak to Four Games
The Islanders continued their dominance, handing a 5-2 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. New York has won their last four games and will battle the Sabres once more tomorrow afternoon.
First Period
33 seconds into the first period, Jacob Bryson of the Buffalo Sabres scored his first career goal in the NHL. In the 20 minute period, the Islanders looked extremely shaky, and top defenseman Adam Pelech seemed to injure himself, although he played for the last couple of minutes. The Islanders win probability fell from 71% to 37.66%.
Second Period
The next frame was exactly what the Islanders hoped for. Mat Barzal scored one of the best goals any fan has ever seen between his legs on a breakaway, fighting off high draft pick Rasmus Ristolainen. Less than two minutes later, Brock Nelson sniped one past Carter Hutton to extend the lead. Cal Clutterbuck and Scott Mayfield both followed with goals of their own, and the Islanders were in a prime position to defeat the Sabres leading 4-1 going into the third period. The Islanders lead shots on goal by 20 to 12 and their win probability rose from 37.66% to 95.33%.
Third Period
Within the first minute of the third period, Sam Reinhart shot one from the blueline past Varlamov, however, and this goal to cut the Islanders lead to 4-2. Anders Lee answered right back with a tip-in from a pass from Noah Dobson. The Islanders controlled the entire third period and earned themselves a strong two points furthering their first-place lead in the Eastern Division.
Summary
After a very tough first period, the Islanders played phenomenally and scored four straight goals in the second period. Barzal’s extremely flashy breakaway goal served as the turning point of the game, and the Islanders never looked back. In their first 11 home games, the Islanders are 9-0-2, where they are the only team never to lose in regulation at home.
According to Evolving Hockey, the Islanders were expected to score 3.06 goals and the Sabres were expected to score 2.57, further describing the Islander’s dominance in the game.
What’s Next?
The Islanders are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres at 12:00 p.m. EST on Sunday at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on NBC.
