Takeaways: Islanders Lose 5-0 to Sabres

The New York Islanders dropped a 5-0 decision to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena.

Jason Zucker (2G), Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin (EN) and Alex Tuch scored for Buffalo, while Alex Lyon made 26 saves for the shutout. David Rittich allowed four goals on 20 shots.

As a result the Islanders suffered their first shutout loss of the season – they were also blanked in a 1-0 a shootout win over the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 23.

“We did it to ourselves a little bit tonight,” Bo Horvat said. “I thought we had a lot of good opportunities to put the puck in the net, we just couldn’t bury them.”

TAKEAWAYS

- The Islanders couldn’t muster any offense, but had a pair of goals waved off in the first period. Casey Cizikas had an early goal overturned due to goalie interference, while Mathew Barzal was deflected into the net one second after the period expired. The Isles were up on shots 13-6 after 20, including a few prime chances and Barzal’s shot. The Sabres prevented any carry over, as Jason Zucker scored 33 seconds into the second period to break the ice, as he deposited a Jack Quinn rebound.

- Thompson doubled the Islanders lead with 12 seconds left in the second period, as Zach Benson send a no-look pass to Thompson at the left side of the crease. The Sabres found the back of the net again early in the third, as Zucker got his second goal of the night by getting a hold of a loose puck in the slot and whipping it past Rittich to take a 3-0 lead. Dahlin buried an empty netter before Tuch netted the fifth goal of the game. The Islanders ran into a hot goaltender, as Lyon won his ninth consecutive game.

- Mathew Barzal’s line with Anders Lee and Anthony Duclair did not play in the third period.

“It’s pretty simple, backchecking is an important part of the game,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “We talk about it on the road. Mistakes are part of the game, but checking doesn’t require talent. It requires will.”

- The Islanders did get a huge piece back, as Bo Horvat returned to the lineup after a nine-game absence. He took four shots on goal, went 14-for-18 in the dot in 19:20 TOI on a line with Jonathan Drouin and Emil Heineman. Roy said that Horvat was a bit rusty in the beginning of the game but played a solid game overall in his first game back after a lengthy absence. Horvat was hard on himself, as he said he’s supposed to be a difference maker and score timely goals, but he adjusted to game speed quickly.

“It took a couple of shifts for sure, but once I got my legs under me and my timing it was a little bit better,” Horvat said.

- Isaiah George made his season debut after he was recalled by the Islanders on Saturday morning. George recorded one blocked shot in 13:56 TOI and skated on a pair with Adam Boqvist.

“I thought that he was playing with confidence,” Roy said of George. “He was skating well, he was breaking out pretty well. I felt like he had a pretty good game.”

- Ryan Pulock (upper-body, day-to-day) missed Saturday’s game. In his place, Scott Mayfield skated on a pair with Matthew Schaefer.

- Heineman took a team-high six shots in the loss.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders head to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers on Monday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Puck drop is set for 7PM.