Following a 3-1 loss Monday night, the Sabres continued to struggle for a victory over the New York Islanders. Buffalo (4-6-2) was shut out 3-0 Tuesday night.
Jack McCabe returned to Buffalo’s lineup, while Rasmus Ristolainen, Dylan Cozens and Curtis Lazar were released from protocol in the hours before the game. Casey Mittelstadt is currently the only player still in protocol. Rasmus Asplund played with the Sabres, his second game of the season, after being recalled from the taxi squad.
| Per. | Time | EV | Goal | Assist | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:43 |  Anders Lee (6) | Noah Dobson (6) | Josh Bailey (6) | |
| 1 | 11:58 | J.G. Pageau (6) | Ryan Pulock (6) | Nick Leddy (7) | |
| 3 | 19:59 | EN | Anders Lee (7) | Josh Bailey (7) | J.G. Pageau (4) |
For the second night in a row, the Sabres found themselves trailing the Islanders 2-0 after 20 minutes of play. The first goal was a one-timer scored at 4:43 by Anders Lee — The second goal was scored by Jean-Gabriel Pageau at 11:53, who is on a four-game goal streak.
Buffalo had a solid chance in the first with a partial breakaway from Taylor Hall, but did not follow through. Hall hasn’t scored a goal since the first game of the season (10 straight games) and has not had a point in 6 of his last 8 games.
With 6:59 minutes left in the 3rd, it seemed as if Victor Olofsson scored on a power play, but was ruled no goal after a coach’s challenge. Jack Eichel was found offsides before Olofsson beat Ilya Sorokin. With 1 second left in the game, Anders Lee scored his second goal of the night, an empty netter, shutting out the Sabres 3-0.
Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin earned his first career victory, stopping all 20 shots he faced. He was 0-2-1 with a 3.85 GAA prior to tonight’s game. Carter Hutton saved 21 shots for Buffalo.
The Sabres will meet the Islanders again next Monday, but first will head to Washington, D.C. to face the Capitals Thursday night.