Sabres rally around Carrick, earn back-and-forth win over Islanders

The Buffalo Sabres are on the doorstep of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center has the Sabres at 100 points, and they could clinch their first playoff berth since 2011 as soon as Thursday.

“It’s been a lot of work, obviously, a lot of ups and downs,” said forward Peyton Krebs, the third-period hero for a second straight game. “We’ve still got a long ways to go here, but that feels good to hit that 100.”

The Islanders had tied it 2-2 with 6:21 remaining, as Anders Lee’s wide-angle toss redirected off a Buffalo skate and past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Rather than dwell on their poor puck luck, the Sabres just went back to work.

Alex Tuch chased a high lob into the offensive zone, curled around the net and drew three sets of Islanders eyes. That left Krebs open in the slot to hammer home his career-best 11th goal, giving Buffalo the lead with 3:01 to play.

“You could tell that shift Tuchy had his legs and he was feeling it,” Krebs said. “… Kind of had a feeling that he was going to throw it in there, and had to be in the right spot at the right time.”

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“We didn’t get flustered,” added Josh Norris. “It’s been like that the whole year. Something happens, who cares? Move on. Stuff’s gonna happen. … It’s how quickly you can respond and get back to your game.”

The own goal wasn’t the first adversity the Sabres faced in the game. Late in the second, Lee crunched Norris into the boards from behind; the Buffalo forward was slow to get up and required stitches in his face. No penalty was called.

As has become the standard, Buffalo retaliated. Sam Carrick fought Lee to open the third but sustained a left-arm injury while falling to the ice. The Sabres’ trade deadline pickup and fourth-line staple didn’t return and is still being evaluated.

“I feel terrible for Ricky,” Norris said. “He didn’t have to do that; that’s just the type of guy he is, the type of teammate. I really appreciate that from him and just feel for the guy. Hopefully it’s not too bad.”

Echoed coach Lindy Ruff: “I don’t think I can say enough about him stepping in. … I just hate to lose him. But I think the team rallied behind that a little bit, seeing him go off, and it was great to get the win.”

Ruff should have an update on Carrick within the next couple days. For now, here’s more from win No. 46.

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Two straight for UPL

The Sabres had alternated goalies since the Olympic break, but Luukkonen got a second straight start Tuesday in place of Alex Lyon. The decision paid off, as Luukkonen made 25 saves for the win.

His biggest moment came in the second period, when Lee pounced on a turnover and was awarded a penalty shot. Luukkonen, a proven performer in shootouts, flashed the glove to deny the Islanders’ captain.

Luukkonen has put together an extended run of great goaltending; since Dec. 21, he’s 15-3-2 with a .921 save percentage.

“We played really good as a team tonight,” he said. “We didn’t give much. We were blocking shots. We were sticking up for each other. It just felt good being in the net; it’s been feeling that way for a little bit now.”

Bo on the board

Bowen Byram extended the lead to 4-2 with a 200-foot empty netter – his first goal since Jan. 10, snapping a 31-game drought. New York’s Brayden Schenn then scored a meaningless one with less than a second remaining, so the Byram goal proved to be the game winner.

PP looks sharp

The Sabres recently promoted Jack Quinn to the first power-play unit. Now, puck possession mostly runs through Norris, Jason Zucker and Rasmus Dahlin on the right side, with Quinn and Tage Thompson moving around to find shooting lanes.

Quinn opened the scoring in the first period, walking up the left side after a great keep-in effort from Norris and Zucker. In the third, a couple minutes after the Carrick fight, Thompson drew a hooking penalty and ripped his 38th goal from the slot on the resulting power play.

Norris had the primary assist on both goals; he’d totaled two points in his previous 11 games. Buffalo’s man advantage went 2-for-4 on the night and is 11-for-35 (31 percent) in the last 12 games.

“Ever since we’ve kind of moved that power play over to the other side and operated off of that side, it’s opened up tighter opportunities for Tommer,” Ruff said. “The downhill goal by Quinner was a good goal. Just different places that Thompson can get to, and I thought he got to a good spot. You put him in a spot like that with his wrist shot, he’s as good as it comes at scoring.”

Metsa and Greenway return

Zach Metsa re-entered the lineup after a three-game stint in Rochester, slotting back in on the third pair with Logan Stanley. Metsa was plus-one in 14:04 of ice time, including 45 seconds shorthanded.

Jordan Greenway returned from a 24-game absence, during which he underwent a different treatment for his nagging middle-body injury. He played 11:13, blocked two shots and also contributed on the penalty kill.

Postgame sound

Up next

The Sabres head out for their last multi-game trip of the regular season. They face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at 7 p.m., with MSG’s pregame coverage starting at 6:30.