We knew that playing three straight games against the New York Islanders wasn’t going to be easy, but this was flat-out embarrassing.
The Sabres were defeated by a 5-2 score for a third consecutive game on Sunday afternoon.
There wasn’t much life for the Sabres offense once again and the Islanders were in full control of this one. New York has played consistent hockey and it’s why they’re at the top of their division.
Buffalo is now 0-6 against the Islanders this season and only have a pair of games left against them.
| Per. | Time | EV | Goal | Assist | Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5:13 |  Anders Lee (12) | Jordan Eberle (7) | Noah Dobson (9) | |
| 2 | 6:15 | Brock Nelson (8) | Oliver Wahlstrom (5) | Nick Leddy (15) | |
| 2 | 16:56 | Casey Cizikas (4) | J.G. Pageau (7) | Adam Pelech (6) | |
| 3 | 5:41 |  Jeff Skinner (1) | Curtis Lazar (2) | Casey Mittelstadt (3) | |
| 3 | 9:35 | Colin Miller (3) | Jack Eichel (16) | Taylor Hall (12) | |
| 3 | 12:57 | Cal Clutterbuck (3) | Matt Martin (4) | --- | |
| 3 | 17:48 | EN | Brock Nelson (9) | Ryan Pulock (10) | --- |
The biggest positive out of today’s game would be the fact that Jeff Skinner finally recorded his first goal of the season:
Jeff Skinner scores!? 3-1 #LetsGoBuffalo #Isles #HDIA pic.twitter.com/9sA2upzNqV
— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) March 7, 2021
You could see the relief on Skinner’s face, and after that goal, he was skating with way more confidence and it was very evident.
Skinner: "It's a nice feeling to contribute to the team , I thought our line was playing really well, I thought Mitts (Mittelstadt) was playing really well…" #Sabres
— Brian Koziol (@BrianWGR) March 7, 2021
A few minutes later, Colin Miller scored on a shot that probably should have been stopped by Ilya Sorokin, but it found its way in and brought the Sabres within a goal. For the first time in a while, momentum started shifting toward Buffalo, but the Islanders overpowered them again.
Cal Clutterbuck put an end to any comeback hopes and the Isles sealed it with an empty-netter, completing the trifecta for another 5-2 win.
It didn’t matter who was in goal for either team in this three-game set. The Islanders are far and away the better team and they did not underestimate Buffalo in any way.
The Sabres have now dropped six straight in regulation and haven’t scored three goals in a game since a 4-3 loss to the Devils on February 25th.
A lot of questions are surrounding Ralph Krueger and he must be starting to feel some pressure, even if he won’t admit it. The Sabres have talented players who aren’t scoring, and the team is severely struggling to score goals. The defense is breaking down and the team looks careless and uninspired. These are all signs of a team that is not playing for their coach, and this team looks worse than the tank team.
At this point, the season is pretty much a wash. It would take a miraculous turnaround just to make playoffs, but they’ve shown zero indication of that.
Next up for the Sabres is an away game against the Philadelphia Flyers, which will complete the five-game road trip. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday.