3 Takeaways: Islanders Battle to 3-2 Win Over Sabres in Season Opener at UBS Arena 

The New York Islanders squeezed out a 3-2 win in their home opener at UBS Arena, starting the 2023-24 season off on the right foot. 

Brock Nelson (1G, 1A) and Kyle Palmieri built a 2-0 lead in the first period, but Buffalo began to pick up steam in the second as Casey Mittelstadt (1G, 1A) and Jordan Greenway scored to tie the game. Casey Cizikas earned the game-winning goal on a deflection in the final frame to win it for New York. Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves on 28 shots between the pipes to earn the first win of the season, while Devon Levi stopped 26 of 29 for the Sabres. 

The Islanders earned their first opening night win at home for the first time since 1995. 

“It’s big, especially on home ice in front of our fans,” Cizikas said. “We wanted to come up with a good game and I thought we did for the most part. When we did have breakdowns, once again Sorokin came up big when we needed him.”

ISLES HOLD OFF SABRES FOR SEASON-OPENING WIN

The Islanders had a strong first period to open their season, gaining momentum, applying pressure and sustaining zone time early in the game. 

Brock Nelson opened the scoring at 5:57 of the first period to give the Isles a 1-0 lead. Pierre Engvall rushed into the Sabres’ zone after the puck skipped over Connor Clifton’s stick at the Isles blue line. The Swedish winger won a puck battle with Clifton and dished a pass to Nelson in the circle, who fired off a wrister past Devon Levi to break the ice.

“Pierre did a great job using the speed getting on it to create that turnover,” Nelson said. “We had a little bit of an odd man rush in broken fashion, and I was able to find some space.” 

The Islanders jumped to a 2-0 lead late in the opening frame, as Ryan Pulock threw a shot on net with Levi making the initial save. Nelson looked to bury the rebound, firing it toward the net for the puck to bounce off Palmieri’s skate and ultimately off Clifton’s left leg and into the net.  

The Islanders let Buffalo back in the game in the second period as the Sabres began to find their way offensively and breaking down the Islanders’ momentum. 

Jordan Greenway received a pass from Casey Mittelstadt and buried a backhand past a sliding Sorokin to get the Sabres on the board in the second period at 4:15. Mittelstadt followed up with his second point of the night in the third period, shelfing a no-look backhand over Sorokin’s shoulder to even the score at 2:34. With the score knotted at two, the Islanders narrowly avoided a goal against in the third, as the Sabres hit the post twice in the same shift. 

But the Islanders kept with it and took the lead with 6:20 left in the game. Adam Pelech fired off a shot from the point which was deflected into the net by Casey Cizikas. Sabres Head Coach Don Granato challenged the play for offsides, but the call was upheld, and the Islanders held onto the 3-2 lead for their first win of the year.

NELSON, PALMIERI AND ENGVALL CONTINUE TO CLICK

Palmieri, Nelson and Engvall picked up where they left off last season, showing their chemistry early in the season opener.

Last season’s top goaler-scorer picked up right where he left off, as Nelson, who was wearing an A as a newly-minted alternate captain, netted the first Islander goal of the 2023-24 season in the opening frame, after leading the team in goals (36) and points (75) last season. Nelson’s goal was his sixth in a season-opener, which is second in franchise history, trailing only Mike Bossy.

Nelson registered a two-point night with a goal and an assist, crediting Engvall’s speed and playmaking abilities and Palmieri’s plays down low. The trio earned praise from Lambert for their performance. 

“I thought Nelson was skating tonight, I thought Engvall was skating and created the first goal, and I thought that Palmieri was doing his thing,” Lambert said. “Goals are created by Kyle Palmieri when he’s in front of the net.”

Lambert paired Nelson and Engvall consistently in preseason action and training camp practices, as Palmieri was able to return to the mix in time for the regular season.

HOLMSTROM FITS IN WITH BARZAL AND HORVAT

Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat have been developing their chemistry together on the same line, leaving the question open of which winger will play on their left. 

Lambert slotted Simon Holmstrom onto the line, giving the 22-year-old the first crack at the assignment.  Holmstrom skated 15:07 though the Swedish winger was shy to shoot at times, opting to pass first instead of taking the shot. At the end of the day, Lambert was impressed with the Swedish winger overall, pointing out he fit in well playing alongside Horvat and Barzal.

“Holmstrom looked good with them,” Lambert said. “He was hunting pucks down and creating some turnovers. I thought he made some good passes and good plays. I’d like him to shoot a little bit more but certainly, I thought he was complimentary to those guys for sure.”

Holmstrom is settling into his second full season with the Islanders, feeling confident with his line’s performance. 

“It was awesome,” Holmstrom said. “I thought we played a pretty solid game. I'm just trying to find them and create some space for them as well. And I was strong on the puck, so I'm just trying to do my best to help them as much as much as I can.” 

Though he didn’t hit the scoresheet, Horvat had a solid performance, skating 20:58 – the most among Isles forwards – winning 57.7% of his faceoffs (15-for-26) while leading the team with eight shots. Barzal finished the game with six shot attempts, giving the line 15 total shot attempts (11 on net). Lambert attributed Horvat’s performance in why the Islanders were able to hold off the Sabres for a season-opening win. 

“Horvat had eight shots, he was good in the faceoff circle, and I thought he was very, very good at the end of the game,” Lambert said.