After what looked to be a good start to the game for the Sabres when Lazar opened the scoring in the first period, ended as a very tough loss in regulation as the Islanders scored 2 unanswered to complete the comeback. This gives the Islanders a 3-0 lead in the season series.
Krueger calls tonight "the most painful loss of the season" #Sabres
— Brian Koziol (@BrianWGR) February 23, 2021
With a 36-23 shots on goal advantage in Buffalo’s favor, Semyon Varlamov was a big difference in this game as he made 34 saves for a .944 save percentage and improves his record to 8-4-2. At the other end of the ice, Linus Ullmark’s .870 save percentage was not indicative of his play as he had an overall good game.
| Per. | Time | EV | Goal | Assist | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17:15 |  Curtis Lazar (4) | Henri Jokiharju (1) | Casey Mittelstadt (2) | |
| 2 | 3:56 |  Anders Lee (8) | Jordan Eberle (4) | Ryan Pulock (7) | |
| 3 | 3:01 | Matt Martin (2) | Andy Greene (1) | Casey Cizikas (2) | |
| 3 | 5:48 | PPG | Sam Reinhart (6) | Victor Olofsson (7) | Rasmus Dahlin (5) |
| 3 | 15:08 | PPG | J.G. Pageau (7) | Oliver Wahlstrom (2) | Nick Leddy (9) |
The highlight of the night for the Sabres belonged to Sam Reinhart as he snagged the puck out of mid-air and pulled it to the back of the net while on the power play.
Snatched that goal out of thin air 🤩#LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/LeZigknYsB
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 23, 2021
Jack Eichel’s struggles continued as he lost the puck multiple times throughout the entire game in the offensive zone and once again failed to light the red light.
Krueger says Eichel is not injured, says it's a confidence thing, says of Eichel and Hall, "they need to stick with it and work through this" #Sabres
— Brian Koziol (@BrianWGR) February 23, 2021
The Sabres have a chance to bounce back tomorrow night as they take on the Devils at 7:00 pm in Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center.